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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STREIT 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

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Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


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THIRTY    YEARS 


IX   THB 


ARCTIC  EEGIONS; 


OR, 


^t  l^bbtntura  of 


SIR    JOHN    FRANKLIN. 


NEW- YORK : 
GEORGE    COOPER,    PUBLISHER, 

No.  8   SPRUCE   STREET. 

1850. 


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Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1859,  by 
H.    DAYTON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Offl.JC  of  the  District  Conrt  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


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PREFACE. 


Tffls  volume  gives  a  graphic  narrative  of  the  adv^utures 
in  Arctic  Kegions  of  perhaps  the  most  celebrated  Arctic 
traveler  of  this,  or  other  times.  Graphic — because  in  the 
main,  Sir  John  Franklin  tells  his  own  story.  Apart  from 
the  interest  of  the  narrative,  and  its  intrinsic  merits,  the 
deep  interest,  which  for  years  has  been  felt  in  the  fate  of 
Sir  John  Franklin,  will  attract  attention  to  the  story  of 
his  early  adventures,  now,  for  the  first  time,  presented  in 
a  cheap  and  readable  shape.  The  narrative  of  Sir  John's 
first  Polar  Sea  Expedition,  we  venture  to  say,  is  unsur- 
passed among  books  of  travel  and  adventure  for  intense, 
all-absorbing  interest. 

The  book  sketches  Franklin's  three  expeditions,  and 
gives  all  the  information  to  be  had  respecting  the  fourth 
and  last  sad  one  which  will  forever  be  shrouded  in  mys- 
tery to  this  world.  We  also  add  a  sketch  of  the  expedi- 
tions sent  in  search  of  Franklin,  and  their  results. 

Franklin's  first  journey  into  Arctic  Regions  was  made 


VI 


PREFACE. 


in  1816,  when  the  English  nation  was  roused  to  a  strong 
desire  for  the  acquisition  of  geographical  knowledge 
in  British  America  and  the  Arctic  Zone.  His  second,  two 
or  three  years  later.  His  third  in  1825,  and  the  last  in 
1845.  We  have  endeavored  to  select  the  pith  of  his 
story  from  the  bulky  volumes  inaccessible  to  the  general 
reader,  and,  indeed,  out  of  print  long  ago  ;  and  now  to 
be  found  only  with  old  book  collections  in  stray  copies  in 
English  cities.  In  reading  this  true  story  of  the  adven- 
tures of  a  truly  brave  man,  the  reader  cannot  fail  ;'o  per- 
ceive that  in  this  case,  at  least,  truth  is  more  strange  and 
more  interesting  than  fiction. 

Washington,  D.  0.  ^   D.  W.  B.     ■ 


'  ^• 


>  t 


THIRTY    YEARS 


IN  THE  ARCTIC  REGIONS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


4 


Sir  John  Franklin's  first  expedition  to  the  Arctic 
Re<rion8  was  made  in  the  year  1816,  as  Lieutenant 
under  Captain  Buchan,  with  the  ships  "  Dorothea"  and 
"  Trent." 

After  much  difficulty,  these  vessels  gained  lat. 
80  deg.  34  min.,  north  of  Spitzbergen  ;  but  were  ob- 
liged speedily  to  withdraw,  and  try  their  fortune  off 
the  western  edge  of  the  pack.  Here,  however,  a  wild 
war  of  ice  and  waves  prevailed,  so  that  choice  and  ne- 
cessity equally  induced  the  bold  experiment  of  dash- 
ing through  it,  to  take  shelter  in  the  pack.  First 
went  the  "Dorothea,"  and  then  the  "  Trent,"  whose 
crew  seemed  to  a  man  imbued  with  the  dauntless 
spirit  of  the  Lieutenant  in  command.  A  dreadful 
pause  preceded  the  critical  moment.  "  Each  person," 
says  Beechey,  in  his  narrative,  "  instinctively  secured 
his  own  hold;  and,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  his  masts, 


I 


8 


Thirty  Years 


awaited  in  breathless  anxiety  the  moment  of  concus- 
sion. It  soon  arrived — the  brig,  cuttiDg  her  way 
through  the  light  ice,  came  in  violent  contact  with  the 
main  body.  In  an  instant  we  all  lost  our  footing,  the 
masts  bent  with  the  impetus,  and  the  cracking  tim- 
bers from  below  bespoke  a  pressure  which  was  calcu- 
lated to  awaken  our  serious  apprehensions."  The 
gloominess  of  the  scene  and  circumstances  was  not 

Mr 

cheered  by  the  dolorous  tolling  of  the  ship's  great 
bell,  which  never  sounded  of  itself  in  the  roughest 
gale,  but  now  was  so  swung  by  the  violent  motion  of 
the  ship,  that  its  deep  tones  pealed  forth  like  a  death- 
knell,  and  the  officers,  fearing  the  awakened  supersti- 
tion of  the  men,  ordered  it  to  be  muffled.  A  few 
hours  released  the  vessels  from  their  imprisonment, 
but  the  "  Dorothea"  was  found  to  be  completely  dis- 
abled. A  short  time  at  Fairhaven  in  Spitzbergen  was 
spent  in  necessary  repairs,  and  even  then  she  was  unfit 
for  any  further  service  than  the  voyage  to  England. 
Franklin  volunteered  to  prosecute  the  enterprise  with 
the  "  Trerit"  alone,  but  the  Admiralty  orders  opposed 
such  a  proceeding,  and  the  vessels  returned  home  in 
company. 

In  1819,  Sir  John  Franklin — then  Captain  Frank- 
lin— was  appointed  to  the  command  of  an  Expedition 
from  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  to  explore  the 
Northern  Coast  of  America,  from  the  mouth  of  Cop- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


9 


per  Mine  River  eastward.  This  is  probably  the  most 
thrilling  Arctic  Expedition  on  record,  and  we  shall 
give  it  in  Franklin's  own  words.  The  Expedition 
consisted  of  John  Franklin,  Commander ;  John  Eich- 
ardson,  Doctor  ;  George  i3ach  and  Robert  Hood,  two 
Admiralty  Midshipmen.  The  agents  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  were  ordered  to  assist  the  Expedition 
in  every  possible  way.  The  two  Admiralty  Midship- 
men were  to  make  drawings  of  the  land  and  waters, 
and  Doctor  Richardson  was  naturalist  as  well  as  doc- 
tor to  the  Expedition. 

On  Sunday,  the  23d  of  May,  1814,  the  party  set 
sail  from  Gravesend,  and  arrived  at  Hudson's  Straits 
August  11,  and  at  York  Factory  the  30th.  The 
Governor  of  the  Company  here  received  the  exploring 
party.  The  Northwest  Company  and  the  Bay  Com- 
pany were,  at  this  time,  in  violent  opposition  to  each 
other,  which  was  unfortunate  for  the  Expedition. 
The  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  gave  to 
the  party  one  of  the  largest  of  his  boats,  and  a  crew 
was  made  up  from  the  ship's  company,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  steersman,  who  was  furnished  by  the 
Governor.  • 

The  narrative  now  commences  in  the  words  of  Cap- 
tain Franklin. 


I 


l\ 


if 


f   ' 


10 


Tliirty  Years 


.«*" 


'     r**^f  ^ 


CHAPTER    II. 

On  the  9th  of  September,  1819,  our  boat  being 
completed,  arrangements  were  made  for  our  departure 
as  soon  as  the  tide  should  serve.  But,  when  the 
stores  were  brought  down  to  the  beach,  it  was  found 
that  the  boat  would  not  contain  them  all.  The  whole, 
therefore,  of  the  bacon,  and  part  of  the  flour,  rice,  to- 
bacco, and  ammunition,  were  returned  into  the  store. 
The  bacon  was  too  bulky  an  article  to  be  forwarded 
under  any  circumstances  ;  but  the  Governor  undertook 
to  forward  the  rest  next  season.  In  making  the  selec- 
tion of  articles  to  carry  with  us,  I  was  guided  by  the 
judgment  of  Governor  Williams,  who  assured  me  that 
tobacco,  ammunition,  and  spirits,  could  be  procured 
in  the  interior,  otherwise  I  should  have  been  very  un- 
willing to  have  left  these  essential  articles  behind. 
We  embarked  at  nooff,  and  were  honored  with  a  salute 
of  eight  guns  and  three  cheers  from  the  Governor  and 
all  the  inmates  of  the  fort,  assembled  to  witness  our 
departure.  We  gratefully  returned  their  cheers,  and 
then  made  sail,  much  delighted  at  having  now  com- 


\ 


■■'■* 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


11 


menced  our  voyage  into  the  interior  of  America.  The 
wind  and  tide  failing  us  at  the  distance  of  six  miles 
above  the  Factory,  and  the  current  being  too  rapid  for 
usins:  oars  to  advantage,  the  crew  had  to  commence 
tracking,  or  dragging  the  boat  by  a  line,  to  which  they 
were  harnessed.  This  operation  is  extremely  laborious 
in  these  rivers.  Our  men  were  obliged  to  walk  along 
the  steep  declivity  of  a  high  bank,  rendered  at  this 
season  soft  and  slippery  by  frequent  rains,  and  their 
progress  was  often  further  impeded  by  fallen  trees, 
which,  having  slipped  from  the  verge  of  the  thick 
wood  above,  hung  on  the  face  of  the  bank  in  a  great 
variety  of  directions.  Notwithstanding  these  ob- 
stacles, however,  we  advanced  at  the  rate  of  two 
miles  an  hour,  one-half  of  the  crew  relieving  the 
other  at  intervals  of  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  banks 
of  the  river,  and  its  islands,  composed  of  alluvial  soil, 
are  well  covered  with  pines,  larches,  poplars,  and  wil- 
lows. The  breadth  of  the  stream  some  distance  above 
the  Factory  is  about  half  a  mile,  and  its  depth  during 
this  day's  voyage  varied  from  three  to  nine  feet. 

At  sunset  we  landed,  and  pitched  the  tent  for  the 
night,  having  made  a  progress  of  twelve  miles.  A 
large  fire  was  quickly  kindled,  supper  speedily  prepar- 
ed, and  as  readily  despatched,  when  we  retired  with 
our  buffalo  robes  on,  and  enjoyed  a  night  of  sound  re- 
pose. 


12 


Thirty  Years 


The  next  morning  our  camp  was  in  motion  at  five 
A.  M.,  and  we  soon  afterwards  embarked  with  the  flat- 
tering accompaniment  of  a  fair  wind  :  it  proved,  how- 
ever, too  light  to  enable  us  to  stem  the  stream,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  resume  the  fatiguing  operation  of 
tracking,  sometimes  under  cliffs  so  steep  that  the  men 
could  scarcely  find  a  footing,  and  not  unfrequently 
over  spots  rendered  so  miry,  by  the  small  streams  that 
trickled  from  above,  as  to  be  almost  impassable.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  the  scene  of  a  very 
melancholy  accident.  Some  years  ago  two  fami- 
lies of  Indians,  induced  by  the  flatness  of  a  small 
beach,  which  lay  betwixt  the  cliff  and  the  river,  chose 
it  as  the  site  of  their  encampment.  They  retired 
quietly  to  rest,  not  aware  that  the  precipice,  detached 
from  the  bank,  aud  urged  by  an  accumulation  of  wa- 
ter in  the  crevice  behind,  was  tottering  to  its  base. 
It  fell  during  the  night,  and  the  whole  party  was  buried 
under  its  ruins. 

The  length  of  our  voyage  to-day  was,  in  a  direct 
line,  sixteen  miles  and  a  quarter,  on  a  S.  S.  W.  course. 
We  encamped  soon  after  sunset,  and  the  >  tent  was 
scarcely  pitched  when  it  began  to  rain  heavily,  and 
continued  to  do  so  all  night. 

Sixteen  miles  on  the  11th,  and  five  on  the  following 
morning,  brought  us  to  the  commencement  of  Hayes* 
Biver,  which  is  formed  by  the  confluence  of  the  Sha- 


^s 


In  the  Arctic  Eegiona. 


13 


irect 

P 

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was 

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and 

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ving 

1 

yes' 

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Jha- 

m 

mattawa  and  Steel  Rivers.  Our  observations  place 
this  spot  in  latitude  6Q  deg.  22  min.  32  sec.  N.,  longi- 
tude 93  deg.  1  min.  37  sec,  W.  It  is  forty-eight 
miles  and  a  half  from  York  Factory,  including  the 
windings  of  the  river.  Steel  River,  through  which 
our  course  lay,  is  about  three  hundred  yards  wide  at 
its  mouth  ;  its  banks  have  more  elevation  than  those 
of  Hayes'  River,  but  they  shelve  more  gradually  down 
to  the  stream,  and  afford  a  tolerably  good  towing  path, 
which  compensates,  in  some  degree,  for  the  rapids  and 
frequent  shoals  that  impede  its  navigation.  We  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  about  ten  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  before  the  close  of  the  day  compelled  us  to 
disembark. 

We  made  an  effort,  on  the  morning  of  the  13  th,  to 
stem  the  current  under  sail,  but  as  the  course  of  the 
river  was  very  serpentine,  we  found  that  greater  pro- 
gress could  be  made  by  tracking.  Steel  River  presents 
much  beautiful  scenery  ;  it  winds  through  a  narrow, 
but  well  wooded  valley,  which,  at  every  turn  disclos- 
ed to  us  an  agreeable  variety  of  prospect,  rendered 
more  picturesque  by  the  effect  of  the  season  on  the 
foliage,  now  ready  to  drop  from  the  trees.  The  light 
yellow  of  the  fading  poplars  formed  a  fine  contrast  to 
the  dark  evergreen  of  the  spruce,  whilst  the  willows, 
of  an  intermediate  hue,  served  to  shade  the  two  prin- 
cipal masses  of  color  into  each  other.     The  scene 


14 


Thirty  Years 


was  occasionally  enlivened,  by  the  bright  purple  tints 
of  the  dogwood,  blended  with  the  browner  shades  of 
the  dwarf  birch,  and  frequently  intermixed  with  the 
gay  yellow  flowers  of  the  shrubby  cinquefoil.  With 
all  these  charms,  the  scene  appeared  desolate  from  the 
want  of  the  human  species.  The  stillness  was  so 
great,  that  even  the  twittering  of  the  Whiskey-john- 
eesTiy  or  cinereous  crow,  caused  us  to  start.  Oar  voy- 
age to-day  was  sixteen  miles  on  a  S.  W.  course. 

Sept.  14. — We  had  much  rain  during  the  night, 

and  also  in  the  morning,  which  detained  us  in  our 

encampment  later^raan  usual.     We  set  out  as  soon 

as  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  in  a  short  time  arrived 

at  the  head  of  Steel  River,  where  it  is  formed  by  the 

junction  of  Fox  and  Hill  Rivers.      These  two  rivers 

are  nearly  of  equal  width,  but  the  latter  is  the  most 

rapid.     Mr.  M'Donald,  on  his  way  to  Red  River,  in  a 

small  canoe,  manned  by  two  Indians,  overtook  us  at 

this  place.    It  may  be  mentioned  as  a  proof  of  the 

dexterity  of  the  Indians,  and  the  skill  with  which 

they  steal  upon  their  game,  that  they  had  on  the 

preceding  day,  with  no  other  arms  than  a  hatchet, 

killed  two  deer,  a  hawk,  a  curlew,  and  a  sturgeon. 

Three  of  the  Company's  boats  joined  us  in  the  course 

of  the  morning,  and  we  pursued  our  course  up  Hill  , 

River  in  company.     The  water  in  this  river  was  so 

low,  and  the  rapids  so  bad,   that  we  were  obliged 


%,' 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


15 


several  times,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  to  jump  into 
the  water,  and  assist  in  lifting  the  boat  over  the  large 
stones  which  impeded  the  navigation.  The  length  of 
our  voyage  to-day  was  only  six  miles  and  three 
quarters.-   ^  ^      .     . :  .  <  .? 

The  four  boats  commenced  operations  together  at 
five  o'clock  the  following  morning  ;  but  our  boat 
being  overladen,  we  soon  found  that  we  were  unable 
to  keep  pace  with  the  others  ;  and  therefore  proposed 
to  the  gentlemen  in  charge  of  the  Company's  boats, 
that  they  should  relieve  us  of  part  of  our  cargo.  This 
they  declined  doing,  under  the  |9la  of  not  having 
received  orders  to  that  effect,  notwithstanding  that  the 
circular,  with  which  I  was  furnished  by  Governor 
Williams,  strictly  enjoined  all  the  Company's  servants 
to  afford  us  every  assistance.  In  consequence  of  this 
refusal  we  dropt  behind,  and  our  steersman,  who  was 
inexperienced,  being  thus  deprived  of  the  advantage 
of  observing  the  route  followed  by  the  guide,  who  was 
in  the  foremost  boat,  frequently  took  a  wrong  channel. 
The  tow-line  broke  twice,  and  the  boat  was  only  pre- 
vented from  going  broadside  down  the  stream,  and 
breaking  to  pieces  against  the  stones,  by  the  officers 
and  men  leaping  into  the  water,  and  holding  her  head 
to  the  current  until  the  line  could  be  cafried  again  to 
the  shore.  It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  in  these 
trying  situations  we  received  much  assistance  from 


16 


Thirty  Years 


n< 


\ 


Mr.  Thomas  Swayne,  who  with  great  kindness  waited 
for  us  with  the  boat  under  his  charge,  at  such  places 
as  he  apprehended  would  be  most  difficult  to  pass. 
We  encamped  at  sunset,  completely  jaded  with  toil. 
Our  distance  made  good  this  day  was  twelve  miles 
and  a  quarter.  ,  .  .« - 

The  labors  of  the  16th  commenced  at  half-past  five, 
and  for  some  time  the  difficulty  of  getting  the  boats  over 
the  rapids  was  equal  to  what  we  experienced  yester- 
day. Having  passed  a  small  brook,  however,  termed 
Half-way  Creehy  the  river  became  deeper,  and  although 
rapid,  it  was  smooth  enough  to  be  named  by  our 
Orkney  boatmen  Still-water,  We  were  further  re- 
lieved by  the  Company's  clerks  consenting  to  take  a 
few  boxes  of  our  stores  into  their  boats.  Still  we 
made  only  eleven  miles  in  the  course  of  the  day.* 

The  banks  of  Hill  Eiver  are  higher,  and  have  a 
more  broken  outline,  than  those  of  Steel  or  Haye's 
Rivers.  The  cliffs  of  alluvial  clay  rose  in  some  places 
to  the  height  of  eighty  or'  ninety  feet  above  the 
stream,  and  were  surmounted  by  hills  about  two  hun- 
dred feet  high,  but  the  thickness  of  the  wood  pre- 
vented us  from  seeing  far  beyond  the  mere  banks  of 
the  river. 

Sept.  17.— About  half-past  five  in  the  morning  we 
commenced  tracking,  and  soon  came  to  a  ridge  ot 
rock  which  extended  across  the  stream.     From  this 


% 


% 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


17 


place  the  boat  was  dragged  up  several  narrow  rocky 
channels,  until  we  came  to  the  Rock-Portage,  where 
the  stream,  pent  in  by  a  range  of  small  islands,  forms 
several  cascades.  In  ascending  the  river,  the  boats 
with  their  cargoes  are  carried  over  one  of  the  islands, 
but  in  the  descent  they  are  shot  down  the  most 
shelving  of  the  cascades.  Having  performed  the 
operations  of  carrying,  launching  and  re-stowing  the 
cargo,  wo  plied  the  oars  for  a  short  distance,  and 
landed  at  a  dep6t  called  Rock-House.  Here  we  wer3 
informed  that  the  rapids  in  the  upper  parts  of  Hi'l 
River  were  much  worse  and  more  numerous  than 
those  we  had  passed,  particularly  in  the  present 
season,  owing  to  the  unusual  lowness  of  the  water. 
This  intelligence  was  very  mortifying,  especially  as 
the  gentlemen  in  charge  of  the  Company's  boats 
declared  that  they  were  unable  to  carry  any  part  of 
our  stores  beyond  this  place  ;  and  the  traders,  guides, 
and  most  experienced  of  the  boatmen,  were  of  opinion, 
that  unless  our  boat  was  still  further  lightened,  the 
winter  would  put  a  stop  to  our  progress  before  we 
could  reach  Cumberland  House,  or  any  eligible  post. 
Sixteen  pieces  were  therefore  necessarily  left  with  Mr. 
Bunn,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the  post,  to  be 
forwarded  by  the  Athabasca  canoes  next  season,  this 
being  their  place  of  rendezvoua 
After  this  we  recommenced  our  voyage,  and  having 


•# 


/ 


18 


Thirty  Years 


?•' 


pulled  nearly  a  mile,  arrived  at  Borrowick's  Fall, 
where  the  boat  was  dragged  up  with  a  line,  after  part- 
of  the  cargo  had  been  carried  over  a  small  portage. 
From  this  place  to  the  Mud  Portage,  a  distance  of  a 

"  mile  and  three-quarters,  the  boats  were  pushed  on 
with  poles  against  a  very  rapid  stream.     Here  we  en- 

.  camped,  having  come  seven  miles  during  the  day  on  a 
S.  W.  course.  We  had  several  snow  showers  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  and  the  thermometer  at  bed-time 
stood  at  30°. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18  th,  the  country  was  clothed 
in  the  livery  of  winter,  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  having 
taken  place  during  the  night.  We  embarked  at  the 
usual  hour,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  crossed  the 
Point  of  Rocks,  and  Brassa  Portages,  and  dragged  the 
boats  through  several  minor  rapids.  In  this  tedious 
way  we  only  made  good  about  nine  miles. 

On  Sunday  the  19th,  we  hauled  the  boats  up  sev- 
eral short  rapids,  or,  as  the  boatmen  term  them, 
expressively  enough,  spouts,  and  carried  them  over 
the  Portages  of  Lower  Burntwood  and  Morgan's 
Rocks  ;  on  the  latter  of  which  we  encamped,  having 
proceeded,  during  the  whole  day,  only  one  mile  and 

three-quarters. 

The  upper  part  of  Hill  River  swells  out  consider- 
ably, and  at  Morgan's  Rocks,  where  it  is  three  quar- 
ters of  a  mile  wide,  we  were  gratified  with  a  more  ex- 


r 


In  tht  Arctic  Regions. 


19 


tensive  prospect  of  the  country  than  any  we  had 
enjoyed  since  leaving  York  Factory.  The  banks  of 
the  river  here,  consisting  of  low  flat  rocks  with  inter- 
mediate swamps,  permitted  us  to  obtain  views  of  the 
interior,  the  surface  of  which  is  broken  into  a  multi- 
tude of  cone-shaped  hills.  The  highest  of  these  hills, 
which  gives  a  name  to  the  river,  has  an  elevation  not 
exceeding  six  hundred  feet.  From  its  summit,  thirty- 
six  lakes  are  said  to  be  visible.  The  beauty  of  the 
scenery,  dressed  in  the  tints  of  autumn,  called  forth 
our  admiration,  and  was  the  subject  of  Mr.  Hood*s 
accurate  pencil.  On  the  20th  we  passed  Upper  Burnt- 
wood  and  Eocky  Ledge  Portages,  besides  several  strong 
spouts  ;  and  in  the  evening  arrived  at  Smooth  Kock 
Portage,  where  we  encamped,  having  come  three  miles 
and  a  half.  It  is  not  easy  for  any  but  an  eye-witness 
to  form  an  adequate  idea  of  the  exertions  of  the  Ork- 
ney boatmen  in  the  navigation  of  this  river.  The  ne- 
cessity they  are  under  of  frequently  jumping  into  the 
water,  to  lift  the  boats  over  the  rocks,  compels  them 
to  remain  the  whole  day  in  wet  clothes,  at  a  season 
when  the  temperature  is  far  below  the  freezing  point. 
The  immense  loads  too,  which  they  carry  over  the 
portages,  is  not  more  a  matter  of  surprise  than  the 
alacrity  with  which  they  perform  these  laborious 
duties. 
At  six  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  we  left  our  en- 


s?o 


Thirty  Years 


;ampment,  and  soon  after  arrived  at  the  Mossy  Port- 
age, where  the  cargoes  were  carried  through  a  deep 
bog  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  river  swells  out, 
above  this  portage,  to  the  breadth  of  several  miles, 
and  as  the  islands  are  numerous,  there  are  a  great  va- 
riety of  channels.  Night  overtook  us  before  we  arrived 
at  the  Second  Portage^  so  named  from  its  being  the 
second  in  the  passage  down  the  river.  Our  whole  dis- 
tance this  day,  was  one  mile  and  a  quarter. 

On  the  22d,  our  route  led  us  amongst  many  wooded 
islands,  which  lying  in  long  vistas,  produced  scenes  of 
much  beauty.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  crossed 
the  Upper  Portage,  surmounted  the  Devil's  Landing 
Place,  and  urged  the  boat  with  poles  through  Ground- 
water Creek.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  creek,  our 
bowman  having  given  the  boat  too  broad  a  sheer,  to 
avoid  the  rock,  it  was  caught  on  the  broadside  by  the 
current,  and,  in  defiance  of  our  utmost  exertions,  hur- 
ried down  the  rapid.  Fortunately,  however,  it 
grounded  against  a  rock  high  enough  to  prevent  the 
current  from  oversetting  it,  and  the  crews  of  the  other 
boats  having  come  to  our  assistance,  we  succeeded, 
after  several  trials,  in  throwing  a  rope  to  them,  with 
which  they  dragged  our  almost  sinking  vessel  stern 
foremost  up  the  stream,  and  rescued  us  from  our  per- 
ilous situation. 

We  began  the  ascent  of  Trout  Eiver  early  in  the 


IjaK    , 

j'.^^^B    wn 

In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


21 


morning  of  the  27th,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day 
passed  three  portages  and  several  rapids.  At  the  first 
of  these  portages  the  river  falls  between  two  rocks 
about  sixteen  feet,  and  it  is  necessary  to  launch  the 
boat  over  a  precipitous  rocky  bank.  This  cascade  is 
named  the  Trout  Fallj  and  the  beauty  of  the  scenery 
afibrded  a  subject  for  Mr.  Hood's  pencil.  The  rocks 
which  form  the  bed  of  this  river  are  slaty,  and  present 
sharp  fragments,  by  which  the  feet  of  the  boatmen  are 
much  lacerated.  The  Second  Portage,  in  particular, 
obtains  the  expressive  name  of  Knife  Portage.  The 
length  of  our  voyage  to-day  was  three  miles. 

On  the  28th,  we  passed  through  the  remainder  of 
Trout  Kiver  ;  and,  at  noon,  arrived  at  Oxford  house, 
on  Holey  Lake.  This  was  formerly  a  post  of  some 
consequence  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  but  at 
present  it  exhibits  unequivocal  signs  of  decay.  The 
Indians  have,  of  late  years,  been  gradually  deserting 
the  low  or  swampy  country,  and  ascending  the  Sas- 
katchawan,  where  animals  are  more  abundant.  A  few 
Crees  were  at  this  time  encamped  in  front  of  the  for*;. 
They  were  suffering  under  the  combined  maladies  of  ^ 
whooping-cough  and  measles,  and  looked  miserably 
dejected.  We  endeavored  in  vain  to  prevail  on  one  of 
them  to  accompany  us  for  the  purpose  of  killing  ducks, 
which  were  numerous,  but  too  shy  for  our  sportsmen. 
We  had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of  exchanging  the 


22 


Thirty  Years 


■  \ 


mouldy  pemmican,  obtained  at  Swampy  Lake,  for  a 
better  kind,  and  received,  moreover,  a  small,  but  very 
acceptable,  supply  of  fish.  Holey  Lake,  viewed  from 
an  eminence  behind  Oxford  House,  exhibits  a  pleasing 
prospect ;  and  its  numerous  islands,  varying  much  in 
shape  and  elevation,  contribute  to  break  that  uniform- 
ity of  scenery  which  proves  so  palling  to  a  traveler  in 
this  country.  Trout  of  a  great  size,  frequently  ex- 
ceeding forty  pounds  weight,  abound  in  this  lake. 
We  left  Oxford  House  in  the  afternoon,  and  encamped 
on  an  island  about  eight  miles  distant,  having  come, 
during  the  day,  nine  miles  and  a  quarter. 

At  noon,  on  the  29th,  after  passing  through  the 
remainder  of  Holey  Lake,  we  entered  the  Weepinap- 
annis,  a  narrow  grassy  river,  which  runs  parallel  to 
the  lake  for  a  considerable  distance,  and  forms  its 
south  bank  into  a  narrow  peninsula.  In  the  morning 
we  arrived  at  the  Swampy  Portage,  where  two  of  the 
boats  were  broken  against  the  rocks.  The  length  of 
the  day's  voyage  was  nineteen  miles  and  a  half. 

In  consequence  of  the  accident  yesterday  evening, 
we  were  detained  a  considerable  time  this  morning, 
until  the  boats  were  repaired,  when  we  set  out,  and 
after  ascending  a  strong  rapid,  arrived  at  the  Portage 
by  John  Moore's  Island.  Here  the  river  rushes  with 
irresistible  force  through  the  channels  formed  by  two 
rocky  islands ;  and  we  learnt,  that  last  year  a  poor 


J:   j.:; 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


23 


man,  in  hauling  a  boat  up  one  of  these  channels,  was, 
by  the  breaking  of  the  line,  precipitated  into  the 
stream  and  hurried  down  the  cascade  with  such  rapid- 
ity, that  all  efforts  to  save  him  were  ineffectual.  His 
body  was  afterwards  found  and  interred  near  the 
spot.        "  '  '* 

Oct.  1. — Ilill  Gates  is  the  name  imposed  on  a  ro- 
mantic defile,  whose  rocky  walls  rising  perpendicu- 
larly to  the  height  of  sixty  or  eighty  feet,  hem  in  the 
stream  for  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  in  many  places  so 
narrowly,  that  there  is  a  want  of  room  to  ply  the 
oars.  In  passing  through  this  chasm  we  were  natur- 
ally led  to  contemplate  the  mighty  but,  probably, 
slow  and  gradual  effects  of  the  water  in  wearing  down 
such  vast  masses  of  rock ;  but  in  the  midst  of  our 
speculations,  the  attention  was  excited  anew  to  a 
grand  and  picturesque  rapid,  which,  surrounded  by  the 
most  wild  and  majestic  scenery,  terminated  the  defile. 
The  brown  fishing-eagle  had  built  its  nest  on  one  of 
the  projecting  cliffs.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we 
surmounted  this  and  another  dangerous  portage, 
called  the  Upper  and  Lower  Hill  Gate  Portages, 
crossed  a  small  sheet  of  water,  termed  the  White-Fall 
Lake,  and  entering  the  river  of  the  same  name,  arrived 
at  the  White  Fall  about  an  hour  after  sunset,  having 
come  fourteen  miles  on  a  S.  W.  course. 
The  whole  of  the  2d  of  October  was  spent  in  carry- 


24 


Thirty  Tears 


\ 


\ 


ing  the  cargoes  over  a  portage  of  thirteen  hundred 
yards  in  length,  and  in  launching  the  empty  boats 
over  three  several  ridges  of  rock  which  obstruct  the 
channel  and  produce  as  many  cascades.  I  shall  long 
remember  the  rude  and  characteristic  wildness  of  the 
scenery  which  surrounded  these  falls  ;  rocks  piled  on 
rocks  hung  in  rude  and  shapeless  masses  over  the 
agitated  torrents  which  swept  their  bases,  whilst  the 
bright  and  variegated  tints  of  the  mosses  and  lichens, 
that  covered  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  contrasting  with 
the  dark  green  of  the  pines,  which  crowned  their 
summits,  added  both  beauty  and  grandeur  to  the 
general  effect  of  the  scene.  Our  two  companions. 
Back  and  Hood,  made  accurate  sketches  of  these  falls. 
At  this  place  we  observed  a  conspicuous  lop-stick,  a 
kind  of  land-mark,  which  I  have  not  hitherto  noticed, 
notwithstanding  its  great  use  in  pointing  out  the 
frequented  routes.  It  is  a  pine-tree  divested  of  its 
lower  branches,  and  having  only  a  small  tuft  at  the 
top  remaining.  This  operation  is  usually  performed 
at  the  instance  of  some  individual  emulous  of  fame. 
He  treats  his  companions  with  rum,  and  they  in 
return,  strip  the  tree  of  its  branches,  and  ever  after 
designate  it  by  his  name.  - 

In  the  afternoon,  whilst  on  my  way  to  superintend 
the  operations  of  the  men,  a  stratum  of  loose  moss 
gave  way  under  my  feet,  and  I  had  the  misfortune  to 


i^S 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


Xi* 


2b 


•slip  from  the  summit  of  a  rock  into  the  river,  betwixt 
two  of  the  falls.     My  attempts  to  regain  the  bank 
were,  for  a  time,  ineffectual,  owing  to  the  rocks  within 
my  reach  having  been  worn  smooth  by  the  action  of 
the  water,  but  after  I  had  been  carried  a  considerable 
distance  down  the  stream,  I  caught  hold  of  a  willow, 
by  which  I  held  until  two  gentlemen  of  the  Hudson'i 
Bay  Company  came  in  a  boat  to  my  assistance.     Th< 
only  bad  consequence  of  this  accident  was  an  injur} 
sustained  by  a  very  valuable  chronometer,  (No.  1733,} 
belonging  to  Daniel  Moore,  Esq.,  of  Lincoln's  Inn 
One  of  the  gentlemen,  to  whom  I  delivered  it  imme- 
diately on  landing,  in  his  agitation  let  it  fall,  whereby 
the  minute-hand  was  broken,  but  the  works  were  noi 
in  the  smallest  degree  injured,  and  the  loss  of  tht 
hand  was  afterwards  supplied. 

During  the  night  the  frost  was  severe,  and  at  sun- 
rise,  on  the  3d,  the  thermometer  stood  at  25°.  Afte: 
leaving  our  encampment  aV  the  White  Fall,  wi^ 
passed  through  several  small  lakes  connected  with 
each  other  by  narrow,  deep,  grassy  streams,  and  at 
noon  arrived  at  the  Painted  Stone.  Numbeis  of 
musk-rats  frequent  these  streams,  and  we  observed 
^  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  many  of  their  mud- 
houses  rising  in  a  conical  form  to  the  height  of  two 
or  three  feet  above  the  grass  of  the  swamps  in  which 
they  are  built. 


26 


ndi  ty  Years. 


Having  launched  the  boats  over  the  rock,  we  com- 
menced the  descent  of  the  Echemamis.  This  small 
atream  has  its  course  through  a  morass,  and  in  dry 
•jeasons  its  channel  contains,  instead  of  water,  merely 
a.  foot  or  two  of  thin  mud.  On  these  occasions  it  is 
3ustomary  to  build  dams,  that  it  may  be  rendered 
navigaWe  by  the  accumulation  of  its  waters.  As  the 
beavers  perform  this  operation  very  effectually,  en- 
deavors have  been  made  to  encourage  them  to  breed 
in  this  place,  but  it  has  not  hitherto  been  possible  to 
restrain  the  Indians  from  killing  that  useful  animal 
whenever  they  discover  its  retreats.  On  the  present 
occasion  there  was  no  want  of  water,  the  principal 
impediment  we  experienced  being  from  the  narro\me88 
of  the  channel,  which  permitted  the  willows  of  each 
bank  to  meet  over  our  heads,  and  obstruct  the  men  at 
the  oars.  After  proceeding  down  the  stream  for  some 
time,  we  came  to  a  recently  con  tructed  beaver-dam 
through  which  an  opening  was  made  sufficient  to 
admit  the  boat  to  pass.  We  were  assured  that  the 
beach  would  be  closed  by  the  industrious  creature  in  a 
single  night.  We  encamp;  d  about  eight  miles  from 
the  source  of  the  river,  having  come  during  the  day 
seventeen  miles  and  a  half. 

On  the  4th  we  embarked  amidst  a  heavy  rain,  and 
pursued  our  route  uovvn  the  Echemamis.  In  many 
parts  the  morass,  by  which  the  river  is  nourished,  and 


*ifc' 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


•27 


tliDiii^h  which  it  flows,  is  intersected  by  ridges  of 
rock  which  cross  the  channel,  and  require  the  boat  to 
be  lifted  over  them.  In  the  afternoon  we  passed 
through  a  shallow  piece  of  water  overgrown  with 
bulrushes,  and  hence  named  Hairy  Lake  ;  and  in  the 
evening,  encamped  on  the  banks  of  Blackwater-Creek, 
by  which  this  lake  empties  itself  into  Sea  Kiver ; 
having  come  during  the  day  twenty  miles  and  three- 
quarters.      .    -  .     r  s  :;  "u      V 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  we  entered  Sea  River, 
one  of  the  many  branches  of  Nelson  River.  It  is 
about  four  hundred  yards  wide,  and  its  waters  are  of 
a  muddy  white  color.  After  ascending  the  stream  for 
an  hour  or  two,  and  passing  through  Carpenter's 
Lake,  which  is  merely  an  expansion  of  the  river  to 
about  a  mile  in  breadth,  we  came  to  the  Sea  River 
Portage,  where  the  boat  was  launched  acioss  a  smooth 
rock,  to  avoid  a  fall  of  four  or  five  feet.  Re-embark- 
ing at  the  upper  end  of  the  portage,  we  ran  before  a 
fresh  gale  through  the  remainder  of  Sea  River,  the 
lower  part  of  Play  Greene  Lake,  and  entering  Little 
Jack  River,  landed  and  pitched  our  tents.  Here  there 
is  a  small  log-hut,  the  residence  of  a  fisherman,  who 
supplies  Norway  House  with  trout  and  sturgeon. 
He  gave  us  a  few  of  these  fish,  which  afforded  an 
acceptable  supper.  The  length  of  cur  voyage  this 
day  was  thirty- four  miles. 


28 


Thirty  Years 


"\ 


We  left  Norway  House  soon  after  noon  of  the  7tli, 
and  the  wind  being  f\ivorable,  sailed  along  the  north- 
ern shore  of  Lake  Winipeg  the  whole  of  the  ensuing 
night ;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  landed  on  a 
narrow  ridge  of  sand,  which,  running  out  twenty  miles 
to  the  westward,  separates  Limestone  Bay  from  the 
body  of  the  Lake.     When  the  wind  blows  hard  from 
the  southward,  it  is  customary  to  carry  boats  across 
this  isthmus,  and  to  pull  up  under  its  lee.     From 
Norwegian  Point  to  Limestone  Bay  the  shore  consists 
of  high  clay  cliffs  against  which  the  waves  beat  with 
much  violence  during  strong  southerly  winds.     When 
the  wind  blows  from  the  land,  and  the  waters  of  the 
lake  are  low,  a  narrow,  sandy  beach  is  uncovered,  and 
affords   a  landing-place  for  boats.     The  shores    of 
Limestone  Bay  are  covered  with  small  fragments  of 
calcareous  stones.     During  the  night  the  Aurora  Bo- 
realis  was  quick  in  its  motions,  and  various  and  vivid 
in  its  colors.     After  breakfasting  we  re-embarked,  and 
continued  our  vovajire  until  three  P.  M.,  whenastronoj 
westerly  wind  arising,  we  were  obliged  to  shelter  our- 
selves on  a  small  island,  which  lies  near  the  extremity 
of  the  above-mentioned   peninsula.     This  island  is 
formed  of  a  collection  of  small  rolled  pieces  of  lime- 
store,  and  was  remembered  by  some  of  our  boatmen 
to  have  been  formerly  covered  with  water.     For  the 
last  ten  or  twelve  years  the  waters  of  the  lake  have 


ttmm 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


29 


been  low,  but  our  information  did  not  enable  us  to 
judge  •whether  the  decrease  was  merely  casual,  or  going 
on  continually,  or  periodical.  The  distance  of  this 
island  from  Norway  House  is  thirty-eight  miles  and  a 
half 

The  westerly  winds  detained  us  all  the  morning  of 
the  9  th,  but,  at  two  P.  M.,  the  wind  chopped  round  to 
the  eastward  :  "we  immediately  embarked,  and  the 
breeze  afterwards  freshening,  we  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Saskatchawan  at  midnight,  having  run  thirty-two 
miles 

Sunday,  Oct.  10. — The  whole  of  this  day  was  oc- 
cupied in  getting  the  boats  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  to  the  foot  of  the  grand  rapid,  a  distance  of  two 
miles.  There  are  several  rapids  in  this  short  distance 
during  which  the  river  varies  its  breadth  from  five 
hundred  yards  to  half  a  mile.  Its  channel  is  stony. 
At  the  grand  rapid,  the  Saskatchawan  forms  a  sudden 
bend,  from  south  to  east,  and  works  its  way  through 
a  narrow  channel,  deeply  worn  into  the  limestone 
strata.  The  stream,  rushing  with  impetuous  force 
over  a  rocky  and  uneven  bottom,  presents  ^  sheet  of 
foam,  and  seems  to  bear  with  impatience  the  straiten- 
ed confinement  of  its  lofty  banks.  A  flock  of  pelicans, 
and  two  or  three  brown  fishing  eagles,  were  fishing  in 
its  agitated  waters,  seemingly  with  great  success. 
There  is  a  good  sturgeon  fishery  at  the  foot  of  the 


30 


Thirty  Years 


rapid.  Several  golden  plovers,  Canadian  gros-beaks, 
cross-bills,  wood-peckers,  and  pin-tailed  grouse,  were 
shot  to-day  ;  and  Mr.  Back  killed  a  small  striped 
marmot.  This  beautiful  little  animal  was  busily  em- 
ployed in  carrying  in  its  distended  pouches  the  seeds  of 
the  American  vetch  to  its  winter  hoards. 

The  portage  is  eighteen  hundreds  yards  long,  and 
its  western  extremity  was  found  to  be  in  53  deg.  08 
min.  25  sec.  North  latitude,  and  99  deg.  28  min.  02 
sec.  West  longitude.  The  route  from  Canada  to  the 
Athabasca  joins  that  from  York  Factory  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Saskatchawan,  and  we  saw  traces  of  a  recent 
encampment  of  the  Canadian  voyagers.  Our  com- 
panions in  the  Hudson's  Bay  boats,  dreading  an  attack 
from  their  rivals  in  trade,  were  on  the  alert  at  this 
place.  They  examined  minutely  the  spot  of  encamp- 
ment, to  form  a  judgment  of  the  number  of  canoes 
that  had  preceded  them  ;  and  they  advanced,  armed, 
and  with  great  caution,  through  the  woods.  Their 
fears,  however,  were  fortunately,  on  this  occasion, 
groundless. 

By  noon,  on  the  12  th,  the  boats  and  their  cargoes 
having  been  conveyed  across  the  portage,  we  embark- 
ed and  pursued  our  course.  The  Saskatchawan  be- 
comes wider  above  the  Grand  Eapid,  and  the  scenery 
improves.  The  banks  are  high,  composed  of  white 
clay   and   limestone,   and   their  summits  are  lichly 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


31 


clothed  with  a  variety  of  firs,  poplars,  birches,  and 
willows.  The  current  runs  with  great  rapidity,  and 
the  channel  is,  in  many  places,  intricate  and  dangerous, 
from  broken  ridges  of  rock  jutting  into  the  stream 
We  pitched  our  tents  at  the  entrance  of  Cross  Lake, 
having  advanced  only  five  miles  and  a  half. 

Cross  Lake  is  extensive,  running  towards  the  N.  E., 
it  is  said,  for  forty  miles.  We  crossed  it  at  the  nar- 
row part,  and  pulling  through  several  winding  chan- 
nels, formed  by  a  group  of  islands,  entered  Cedar 
Lake,  which,  next  to  Lake  Winneipeg,  is  the  largef^t 
sheet  of  fresh  water  we  had  hitherto  seen.  Duck.-* 
and  geese  resort  hither  in  immense  flocks  in  the  spring 
and  autumn.  These  birds  are  now  beginning  to  go  ofl , 
owing  to  its  muddy  shores  having  become  quite  han^ 
through  the  nightly  frosts.  At  this  place  the  Auron 
Borealis  was  extremely  brilliantdn  the  night,  its  corus- 
cations darting,  at  times,  over  the  whole  sky,  and  as- 
suming various  prismatic  tints,  of  which  the  violel 
and  yellow  were  predominant. 

After  pulling,  on  the  14th,  seven  miles  and  a  quar- 
ter on  the  lake,  a  violent  wind  drove  us  for  shelter  to 
a  small  island,  or  rather  a  ridge  of  rolled  stones, 
thrown  up  by  the  frequent  storms  which  agitate  this 
lake.  The  weather  did  not  moderate  the  whole  day 
and  we  were  obliged  to  pass  the  night  on  this  exposec 
spot.     The  delay,  however,  enabled  us  to  obtain  somi 


32 


Tliirty  Years 


lunar  observations.     The  wind  having  subsided,  we 
left  our  resting-place  the  following  morning,  crossed 
:he  remainder  of  the  lake,  and,  in  the  afternoon,  ar- 
rived  at   Muddy  Lake,  which  is  very  appropriatelj 
lamed,  as  it  consists  merely  of  a  few  channels,  wind- 
ng  amongst  extensive  mud  banks,  which  are  overflow- 
id  during  the  spring  floods.     We  landed  at  an  Indian 
cent,  which  contained  two  numerous  families,  amount- 
ing to  thirty  souls.     These  poor  creatures  were  badly 
clothed,  and  reduced  to  a  miserable  condition  by  the 
ravages  of  the  whooping-cough  and  measles.     At  the 
time  of  our  arrival  they  were  busy  in  preparing  a 
sweating-house  for  the  sick.     This  is  a  remedy,  which 
they  consider,  with  the  addition  of  singing  and  drum- 
ming, to  be  the  grand  specific  for  all  diseases.     Our 
companions  having  obtained  some  geese,  in  exchange 
for  rum  and  tobacco,  we  proceeded  a  few  more  miles 
and  encamped  on  Devil's  Drum  Island,  having  come, 
during  the  day,  twenty  miles  and  a  half.     A  second 
party  of  Indians  were  encamped   on  an   adjoining 
island,  a  situation  chosen  for  the  purpose  of  killing 
geese  and  ducks.  , 

On  the  16th  we  proceeded  eighteen  miles  up  the 
Saskatchawan.  -  Its  banks  are  low,  covered  with  wil- 
lows, and  lined  with  drift  timber.  The  surrounding 
country  is  swampy,  and  intersected  by  the  numerous 
*>.rm8  of  the  river.     After  passing  for  twenty  .  i  ^.hirty 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


33 


yards  through  the  willow  thicket  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream,  we  entered  upon  an  extensive  marsh,  varied 
only  by  a  distant  line  of  willows,  which  marks  the 
course  of  a  creek  or  branch  of  the  river.  The  branch 
we  navigated  to-day  is  almost  five  hundred  yards  wide. 
The  exhalations  from  the  marshy  soil  produced  a  low 
fog,  although  the  sky  above  was  perfectly  clear.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  an  Indian  encamp- 
ment of  three  tents,  whose  inmates  appeared  to  be  in 
a  still  more  miserable  condition  than  those  we  saw^ 
yesterday.  They  had  just  finished  the  ceremony  ot 
conjuration  over  some  of  their  sick  companions  ;  and 
a  dog,  which  waa  recently  killed  as  a  sacrifice  to  some 
deity,  was  hanging  to  a  tree,  where  it  would  be  left  (I 
was  told)  when  they  move(^  their  encampment. 

We  continued  our  voyage  up  the  river,  to  the  20  th, 
with  little  variation  of  scenery  or  incident,  traveling 
in  that  time  about  thirty  miles.  The  near  approach 
of  winter  was  marked  by  severe  frosts,  which  continued 
all  day,  unless  when  the  sun  chanced  to  be  unusually 
bright,  and  the  geese  and  ducks  were  observed  to  take 
a  southerly  course  in  large  flocks.  On  the  morning  of 
the  20th  we  came  to  a  party  of  Indians,  encamped 
behind  the  bank  of  the  river,  on  the  borders  of  a  small 
marshy  lake,  for  the  purpose  of  killing  water-fowl. 
Here  we  were  gratified  with  the  view  of  a  very  large 
tent.     Its  length  was  about  forty  fectj  its  breadth 


2» 


34 


Thirty  Years 


eighteen,  and  its  covering  was  moose  deer  leather, 
with  apertures  for  the  escape  of  the  smoke  from  the 
fires  which  were  placed  at  each  end  ;  a  ledge  of  wood 
was  placed  on  the  ground  on  both  sides  of  the  whole 
length  of  the  tent,  within  which  were  the  sleeping 
places,  arranged  probably  according  to  families  ;  and 
the  drums  and  other  instruments  of  enchantment  were 
piled  up  in  the  centre.  Amongst  the  Indians  there 
were  a  great  many  half-breeds,  who  lead  an  Indian 
life.  Governor  Williams  gave  a  dram  and  a  piece  of 
tobacco  to  each  of  the  males  of  the  party. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  a  heavy  fall  of  snow 
took  place,  which  lasted  until  two  in  the  afternoon. 
In  the  evening  we  left  the  Saskatchawan,  and  entered 
the  Little  River,  one  of  the  two  streams  by  which 
Pine  Island  Lake  discharges  its  waters.  We  advanced 
to-day  fourteen  miles  and  a  quarter.  On  the  22d,  the 
weather  was  extremely  cold  and  stormy,  and  we  had 
to  contend  against  a  strong  head  wind.  The  spray 
froze  as  it  fell,  and  the  oars  were  so  loaded  with  ice 
as  to  be  almost  unmanageable.  The  length  of  our 
voyage  this  day  was  eleven  miles. 

The  following  morning  was  very  cold ;  we  embarked 
at  daylight,  and  pulled  across  a  pavt  of  Pine  Island 
Lake,  about  three  miles  and  n.  half  to  Cumberland 
House.  The  margin  of  the  lake  was  so  encrusted 
with  ice,  that  we  had  to  break  through  a  considerable 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


35 


space  of  it  to  approach  the  landing  place.  When  wo 
considered  that  this  was  the  effect  of  only  a  few  days' 
frost  at  the  commencement  of  winter,  we  were  con- 
vinced of  the  impracticability  of  advancing  further  by 
water  this  season,  and,  therefore,  resolved  on  accepting 
Governor  Williams's  kind  invitation  to  remain  with 
him  at  this  post.  We  immediately  visited  Mr.  Con- 
nolly, the  resident  partner  of  the  North- West  Com-- 
pany,  and  presented  to  him  Mr.  M'Gillivray's  circular 
letter.  He  assured  us  that  he  should  be  most  desir- 
ous to  forward  our  progress  by  every  means  in  his 
power,  and  we  subsequently  had  ample  proofs  of  his 
sincerity  and  kindness.  The  unexpected  addition  of 
our  party  to  the  winter  residents  at  this  post,  rendered 
an  increase  of  apartments  necessary  ;  and  our  men 
were  immediately  appointed  to  complete  and  arrange 
an  unfinished  building  as  speedily  as  possible. 

Nov.  8. — Some  mild  weather  succeeded  to  the  se- 
vere frosts  we  had  at  our  arrival ;  and  the  lake  had 
not  been  entirely  frozen  before  the  6th  ;  but  this  morn- 
ing the  ice  was  sufficiently  firm  to  admit  of  sledges 
crossing  it.  The  dogs  were  harnessed  at  a  very  early 
hour,  and  the  winter  operations  commenced  by  send- 
ing for  a  supply  of  fish  from  Swampy  Eiver,  where 
men  had  been  stationed  to  collect  it,  just  before  the 
frost  set  in.  Both  men  and  dogs  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
change  ;  they  started  in  full  glee,  and  drove  rapidly 


36 


Thirty  Years 


along.  An  Indian,  who  had  come  to  the  house  on  the 
preceding  evening,  to  request  some  provision  for  his 
family,  whom  he  represented  to  be  in  a  state  of  star- 
varion,  accompanied  them.  His  party  had  been  suf- 
fering greatly  under  the  epidemic  diseases  of  the 
whooping-cough  and  measles  ;  and  the  hunters  were 
still  in  too  debilitated  a  state  to  go  out  and  provide 
them  with  meat.  A  supply  was  given  to  him,  and 
the  men  were  directed  to  bring  his  fatjier,  an  old  and 
faithful  hunter,  to  the  house,  that  he  might  have  the 
comforts  of  nourishment  and  warmth.  F^  was 
brought  accordingly,  but  these  attentions  were  una- 
vailing, as  he  died  a  few  days  afterwards.  T\*o  days 
before  his  death,  I  was  surprised  to  observe  him  sit- 
ting for  near  three  hours,  in  a  piercingly  sharp  day,  in 
the  saw-pit,  employed  in  gathering  the  dust,  and 
throwing  it  by  handfuls  over  his  l.  ly,  which  was 
naked  to  the  waist.  As  the  man  was  in  possession  of 
his  mental  faculties,  I  conceived  he  was  performing 
some  devotional  act  preparatory  to  his  departure,  which 
he  felt  approaching  ;  and,  induced  by  the  novelty  of 
the  incident,  I  went  twice  to  observe  him  more  close- 
ly ;  but  when  he  perceived  that  he  was  noticed,  he 
immediately  ceased  his  operation,  hung  down  his  head, 
and  by  his  demeanor,  intimated  that  he  considered 
my'appearance  an  intrusion.  The  residents  at  the  fort 
could  give  me  no  information  on  the  subject,  and  I 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


37 


could  not  learn  that  the  Indians  in  general  ohserve 
any  particular  ceremony  on  the  approach  of  death. 

Nov.  15. — The  sky  had  been  overcast  during  the 
last  week  ;  the  sun  shone  forth  once  only,  and  then 
not  sufficiently  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  observa- 
tions. Faint  coruscations  of  the  Aurora  Borealis  ap- 
peared one  evening,  but  their  presence  did  not  in  the 
least  affect  the  electrometer  nor  the  compass.  The 
ice  daily  became  thicker  in  the  lake,  and  the  frost  had 
now  nearly  overpowered  the  rapid  current  of  the  Sask- 
,  atchawan  River ;  indeed,  parties  of  men  who  were  sent 
from  both  the  forts  to  search  for  the  Indians,  and  pro- 
cure whatever  skins  and  provisions  they  might  have 
collected,  crossed  that  stream  this  day  on  the  ice ;  the 
white  partridges  made  their  first  appearance  near  to 
the  house.  These  birds  are  considered  as  the  infalli- 
ble harbingers  of  severe  weather, 

Monday,  Nov.  22. — The  Saskatchawan,  and  every 
other  river,  were  now  completely  covered  with  ice,  ex- 
cept a  small  stream  near  to  the  fort  through  which  the 
current  ran  very  powerfully.  In  the  course  of  the 
week  we  removed  into  the  house  our  men  had  been 
preparing  for  us  since  our  arrival.  We  found  it  at 
first  extremely  cold,  notwithstanding  a  good  fire  was 
kept  in  each  apartment,  and  we  frequently  experi- 
enced the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  body. 


88 


Thirty  Years 


Nov.  24. — We  this  day  obtained  observations  for 
the  dip  of  the  needle  and  intensity  of  the  magnetic 
force  in  a  spare  room.  The  dip  was  83°  9'  45", 
and  tl^e  difference  produced  by  reversing  the  face  of 
the  instrument,  13°  3'  6".  When  the  needle  was 
faced  to  the  west,  it  hung  nearly  perpendicular.  The 
Aurora  Borealis  was  faintly  visible  for  a  short  time 
last  evening.  Some  Indians  arrived  in  search  of  pro- 
vision, having  been  totally  incapacitated  from  hunting 
by  sickness  ;  the  poor  creatures  looked  miserably  ill, 
and  they  represented  their  distress  to  have  been  ex- 
treme. Few  recitals  are  more  affecting  than  those  of 
their  sufferings  during  unfavorable  seasons,  and  in 
bad  situations  for  hunting  and  fishing.  Many  assu-  *. 
ranees  have  been  given  me  that  men  and  women  are 
yet  living  who  have  been  reduced  to  feed  upon  the 
bodies  of  their  own  family,  to  prevent  actual  starva- 
tion ;  and  a  shocking  case  was  cited  to  us  of  a  woman 
who  had  been  principal  agent  in  the  destruction  of 
several  persons,  and  amongst  the  number  her  husband 
and  nearest  relatives,  in  order  to  support  life. 

Nov.  28. — The  atmosphere  had  been  clear  every  day 
during  the  last  week,  about  the  end  of  which  snow 
fell,  when  the  thermometer  rose  from  20^  below  to 
16°  above  zero.  The  Aurora  Borealis  was  twice  visi- 
ble, but  faint  on  both  occasions.  Its  appearance  did 
not  affect  the  electrometer,  nor  could  we  perceive  the 
compass  to  be  disturbed. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


39 


The  men  brought  supplies  of  moose  meat  from  the 
hunter's  tent,  which  is  pitched  near  the  Basquian 
Hill,  at  the  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  from  tlie 
house,  and  from  whence  the  greatest  pnrt  of  the  nieut 
is  procured.  The  residents  have  to  send  nearly  the 
same  distance  for  their  fish,  and  on  this  service  horse- 
sledges  are  used.  Nets  are  daily  set  in  Pine  Island 
Lake,  which  occasionally  procure  some  fine  sturgeon, 
tittameg  and  trout,  but  not  more  than  sufficient  to 
supply  the  officers'  table. 

Dec.  1.— This  day  was  so  remarkably  fine,  that  we 
procured  another  set  of  observations  for  the  dip  of  the 
needle  in  the  open  air ;  the  instrument  being  placed 
firmly  on  a  rock,  the  results  gave  83^  14'  22".  The 
change  produced  by  reversing  the  face  of  the  instrument 
was  12''  50'  56". 

There  was  a  determined  thaw  during  the  last  three 
days,  which  caused  the  Saskatchawan  River,  and  some 
parts  of  the  lake,  to  break  up,  and  rendered  the  tra- 
veling across  either  of  them  dangerous.  On  this  ac- 
count the  absence  of  Wilkes,  one  of  our  men,  caused 
no  small  anxiety.  He  had  incautiously  undertaken 
the  charge  of  conducting  a  sledge  and  dogs,  in  com- 
pany with  a  "p  rson,  going  to  Swampy  River  for  fish. 
On  their  return,  being  unaccustomed  to  driving,  he 
became  fatigued,  and  seated  himself  on  his  sledge,  in 
which  situaiion  his  companion  left  him,  presuming 


40 


Thirty  Years 


.*j* 


that  he  would  soon  rise  and  hasten  to  follow  his  track. 
He  however  returned  safe  in  the  morning,  and  report-: 
ed  that,  foreseeing  night  would  set  in  before  he  could 
get  across  the  lake,  he  prudently  retired  into  the 
woods  before  dark,  where  he  remained  until  daylight ; 
when  the  men,  who  had  been  despatched  to  look  for 
him,  met  him  returning  to  the  house,  shivering  witii 
cold,  he  having;  been  unprovided  with  the  materials 
for  lighting  a  fire  ;  which  an  experienced  voyager  never 
neglects  to  carry. 

We  had  mild  weather  until  the  20th  of  December. 
Oii  the  13th  there  had  been  a  decided  thaw,  which 
caused  the  Saskatchawan,  which  had  again  frozen,  to 
re-open,  and  the  passage  across  it  was  interrupted  for 
two  days.  We  now  received  more  agreeable  accounts 
from  the  Indians,  who  are  recovering  strength,  and 
beginning  to  hunt  a  little  ;  but  it  is  generally  feared 
that  their  spirits  have  been  so  much  depressed  by  the 
loss  of  their  children  and  relatives,  that  the  season  will 
be  far  advanced  before  they  can  be  roused  to  any  ex- 
ertion in  searching  for  animals  beyond  what  may  be 
necessary  for  their  own  support.  It  is  much  to  be  re- 
gretted that  these  poor  men,  during  their  long  inter- 
course with  Europeans,  have  not  been  taught  how 
pernicious  is  the  grief  which  produces  total  inactivity, 
and  that  they  have  not  been  furnished  with  any  of  the 
consolations  which  the  Christian  religion  never  fails  to 


-■«^ 


•^ 


m 


J^ 


« 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


41 


m: 


afford.  This,  however,  could  hardly  have  been  ex- 
pected from  persons  who  have  permitted  their  own  off- 
spring, the  half-casts,  to  remain  in  lamentable  igno- 
rance on  a  subject  of  such  vital  importance.  It  is  pro- 
bable, however,  that  an  improvement  will  soon  take 
place  among  the  latter  class,  as  Governor  Williams 
proposes  to  make  the  children  attend  a  Sunday  school, 
and  has  already  begun  to  have  divine  service  perform- 
ed at  his  post. 

The  conversations  which  I  have  had  with  the  gen- 
tlemen in  charge  of  these  posts,  convinced  me  of  the 
necessity  of  proceeding  during  the  winter  into  the 
Athabasca  department,  the  residents  of  which  are  best 
acquainted  with  the  nature  and  resources  of  the  coun- 
try lying  to  the  north  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake  ;  and 
from  whence  only  guides,  hunters,  and  interpreters 
can  be  procured.  I  had  previously  written  to  the 
partners  of  the  North- West  Company  in  that  quarter, 
requesting  their  assistance  *in  forwarding  the  Expedi- 
tion, and  stating  what  we  should  require  of  them  ; 
but,  on  reviewing  the  matter,  and  reflecting  upon  the 
accidents  that  might  delay  these  letters  on  the  road, 
I  determined  on  proceeding  to  the  Athabasca  as  soon 
as  I  possibly  could,  and  communicated  my  intention 
to  Governor  Williams  and  Mr.  Connolly,  with  a  re- 
quest that  I  might  be  furnished,  by  the  middle  of  Jan- 
uary, with  the  means  of  conveyance  for  three  persons, 


■'4l     "■' 


\  I 


r 


42 


Thirty   Years 


intending  that  Mr.  Back  and  Hepburn  should  accom- 
pany me,  whilst  Dr.  Kichardson  and  Mr.  Hood  re- 
mained till  the  spring  at  Cumberland  House. 

After  the  20th  December  the  weather  became  cold, 
the  thermometer  constantly  below  zero.  Christmas-day 
was  particularly  stormy  ;  but  the  gale  did  not  prevent 
the  full  enjoyment  of  the  festivities  which  are  annually 
given  at  Cumberland  House  on  this  day.  All  the 
men  who  had  been  despatched  to  different  parts  in 
search  of  provision  or  furs  returned  to  the  fort  on  the 
occasion,  and  were  regaled  with  a  substantial  dinner 
and  a  dance  in  the  evening. 

1820.  The  new  year  was  ushered  in  by  repeated 

January  1.  djgcharges  of  musketry  ;  a  ceremony  which 
has  been  observed  by  the  men  of  both  the  trading 
Companies  for  many  years.  Our  party  dined  with  Mr. 
Connolly,  and  were  regaled  with  a  beaver,  which  we 
found  extremely  delicate.  In  the  evening  his  men 
were  entertained  with  a  dance,  in  which  the  Canadi- 
ans exhibited  some  grace  and  much  agility  ;  and  they 
contrived  to  infuse  some  portion  of  their  activity  and 
spirits  into  the  steps  of  their  female  companions.  The 
half-breed  women  are  passionately  fond  of  this  amuse- 
ment, but  a  stranger  would  imagine  the  contrary  on 
witnessing  their  apparent  want  of  animation.  On 
such  occasions  they  affect  a  sobriety  of  demeanor 
which  I  understand  to  be  the  very  oj)posite  of  their 
general  character. 


In  the  Artie  Ilegions. 


43 


>■■ 


CHAPTER    IV. 


""iS20.  This  day  we  set  out  from  Cumberland  House 
for  Carlton  House  ;  but  previously  to  detailing  the 
events  of  the  journey,  it  may  be  proper  to  describe  the 
necessary  equipments  of  a  winter  traveler  in  this  re- 
gion, which  I  cannot  do  better  than  by  extracting  the 
following  brief,  but  accurate,  account  of  it  from  Mr. 
Hood's  journal : —       '"  ^        v  i 

*'■  A  snow-shoe  is  made  of  two  light  bars  of  wood, 
fastened  together  at  their  extremiti(\s,  and  projected 
into  curves  by  transverse  bars.  The  side  bars  have 
been  so  shaped  by  a  frame,  and  dried  before  a  fire 
that  the  front  part  of  the  shoe  turns  up,  lilie  the  prow 
of  a  boat,  and  the  pait  behind  terminates  in  an  acute 
angle  ;  the  spaces  between  the  bars  are  filled  up  with 
a  fine  netting  of  leathern  thongs,  except  that  part  be- 
hind the  main  bar,  which  is  occupied  by  the  feet ;  the 
netting  is  there  close  and  strong,  and  the  foot  is  at- 
tached to  the  main  bar  by  straps  passing  round  the 
heel,  but  only  fixing  the  toes,  so  that  the  heel  rises 
after  each  step,  and  the  tail  of  the  shoe  is  dragged  on 


44 


Thirty  Years 


the  snow.  Between  the  main  bar  and  another  in  front 
of  it,  a  small  space  is  left,  permitting  the  toes  to 
descend  a  little  in  the  act  of  raising  the  heel  to  make 
the  step  forward,  which  prevents  their  extremities  from 
chafinor.  The  len«:th  of  a  snow-shoe  is  from  four  to  six 
feet,  and  the  breadth  one  foot  and  a  half,  or  one  foot 
and  three-quarters,  being  adapted  to.  the  size  of  the 
wearer.  The  motion  of  walking  in  them  is  perfectly 
natural,  for  one  shoe  is  level  with  the  snow,  when  the 
edge  of  the  other  is  passing  over  it.  It  is  not  easy  to 
use  them  among  bushes,  without  frequent  overthrows, 
nor  to  rise  afterwards  without  help.  Each  shoe  weighs 
about  two  pounds  when  unclogged  with  snow.  The 
northern  Indian  snow-shoes  differ  a  little  from  those 
of  the  southern  Indians,  having  a  greatercurvature  on 
the  outside  of  each  shoe  ;  one  advantage  of  which  is, 
that  when  the  foot  rises  the  over-balanced  side 
deecends  and  throws  off  the  snow.  All  the  superiority 
of  European  art  has  been  unable  to  improve  the  native 
contrivance  of  this  useful  machine. 

"  Sledges  are  made  of  two  or  three  flat  boards, 
curving  upwards  in  front,  and  fastened  together  by 
transverse  pieces  of  wood  above.  They  are  so  thin 
that,  if  heavily  laden,  they  bend  with  the  inequalities 
of  the  surface  over  which  they  pass.  The  ordinary 
dog-sledges  are  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  and  very 
narrow,  but  the  lading  is  secured  to  a  lacing  round 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


45 


the  edges.  The  cariole  used  by  the  traders  is  merely 
a  covering  of  leather  for  the  lower  part  of  the  body, 
affixed  to  the  common  sledge,  which  is  painted  and 
ornamented  according  to  the  taste  of  the  proprietor. 
Besides  snow-shoes,  each  individual  carries  his  blanket, 
hatchet,  steel,  flint,  and  tinder,  and  generally  fire- 
arms." 

The  general  dress  of  the  winter  traveler  is  a  capoty 
having  a  hood  to  put  up  under  the  fur  cap  in  windy 
weather,  or  in  the  woods,  to  keep  the  snow  from  his 
neck  ;  leathern  trowsers  and  Indian  stockings,  which 
are  closed  at  the  ankles,  round  the  upper  part  of  his 
moccasins,  or  Indian  shoes,  to  prevent  the  snow  from 
getting  into  them.  Over  these  he  wears  a  blanket,  or 
leathern  coat,  which  is  secured  by  a  belt  round  his 
waist,  to  which  his  fire-bag,  knife,  and  hatchet  are 
suspended. 

Mr.  Beck  and  I  were  accompanied  by  the  seaman, 
John  Hepburn ;  we  were  provided  with  two  carioles 
and  two  sledges ;  and  their  drivers  and  dogs  were 
furnished  in  equal  proportions  by  the  two  Companies. 
Fifteen  days'  provision  so  completely  filled  the  sledges, 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  found  room  for  a  small 
sextant,  one  suit  of  clothes,  and  three  changes  of 
linen,  together  with  our  bedding.  Notwithstanding 
we  thus  restricted  ourselves,  and  even  loaded  the 
carioles  with  part  of  the  luggage,  instead  of  embarking 


46 


Thirty  Years 


in    them   ourselves,    we    did    not   set   out    without 
considerable   grumbling  from   the  voyagers  of  both 
Companies,  respecting  the  overlading  of  their  dogs. 
However,   we  left  the  matter  to  be  settled  by  our 
friends  at  the  fort,  who  were  more  conversant  with 
winter  traveling  than  ourselves.       Indeed,  the  loads 
appeared  to  us  so  great  that  we  should  have  been 
inclined  to  listen  to  the  complaints  of  the  drivers. 
The  weight  usually  placed  upon  a  sledge,  drawn  by 
three  dogs,  cannot,  at  the  commencement  of  a  journey, 
be  estimated  at  less  than  three  hundred  pounds,  which, 
however,  suffers   a  daily  diminution   from   the   con- 
sumption of  provisions.      The   sledge   itself  weighs 
about  thirty  pounds.     When  the  snow  is  hard  frozen, 
or  the  track  well  trodden,  the   rate  of  traveling  is 
about  two  miles  and  a  half  an  hour,  including  rests, 
or  about  fifteen  miles  a  day.     If  the  snow  is  loose, 
the  speed  is  necessarily  much  less  and    the  fatigue 
greater. 

At  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  18th,  we  quitted  the 
fort,  and  took  leave  of  our  hospitable  friend,  Governor 
Williams,  whose  kindness  and  attention  I  shall  ever 
remember  with  gratitude.  Dr.  Kichardson,  Mr.  Hood, 
and  Mr.  Connolly,  accompanied  us  along  the  Sas- 
katchawan,  until  the  snow  became  too  deep  for  their 
walking  without  snow-shoes.  We  then  parted  from 
our  associates,  with  sincere  regret  at  the  prospect  of  a 


In  the  Arctic  Bcghms. 


47 


long  separation.  Being  accompanied  by  Mr.  Mac- 
kenzie, of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  was  going 
to  Isle  d  la  Crosse,  with  four  sledges  under  his  charge, 
we  formed  quite  a  procession,  keeping  in  an  Indian 
file,  in  the  tract  of  the  man  who  preceded  the  foremost 
dogs  ;  but,  as  the  snow  was  deep,  we  proceeded 
slowly  on  the  surface  of  the  river,  which  is  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide,  for  the  distance  of  six 
miles,  which  we  went  to-day.  Its  alluvial  banks  and 
islands  are  clothed  with  willows.  At  the  place  of  our 
encampment  we  could  scarcely  find  sufficient  pine 
branches  to  floor  "  the  hut,"  as  the  Orkney  men  term 
the  place  where  travelers  rest.  Its  preparation,  how- 
ever, consists  only  in  clearing  away  the  snow  to  the 
ground,  and  covering  that  space  with  pine  branches, 
over  which  the  party  spread  their  blankets  and  coats, 
and  sleep  in  warmth  and  comfort,  by  keeping  a  good 
fire  at  their  feet,  without  any  other  canopy  than  the 
heaven,  even  though  the  thermometer  should  be  far 
below  zero. 

The  arrival  at  the  place  of  encampment  gives  imme- 
diate occupation  to  every  one  of  the  party  ;  and  it  is 
not  until  the  sleeping- place  has  been  arranged,  and  a 
sufficiency  of  wood  collected  as.  fuel  for  the  night,  that 
the  fire  is  allowed  to  be  kindled.  The  dogs  alone 
remain  inactive  during  this  busy  scene,  being  kept 
harnessed  to  their  burdens  until  the  men  have  leisure 


48 


Thirty  Years 


to  unstow  the  sledges,  and  hang  upon  the  trees  every 
species  of  provision  out  of  the  reach  of  these  rapacious 
animals.  We  had  ample  experience,  hefore  morning, 
of  the  necessity  of  this  precaution,  as  they  contrived 
to  steal  a  considerable  part  of  our  stores,  almost  from 
underneath  Hepburn's  head,  notwithstanding  their 
having  been  well-fed  at  supper. 

This  evening  we  found  the  mercury  of  our  ther- 
mometer had  sunk  into  the  bulk,  and  was  frozen.  It 
arose  again  into  the  tube  on  being  held  to  the  fire, 
but  quickly  re-descended  into  the  bulb  on  being 
removed  into  the  air  ;  we  could  not,  therefore,  ascer- 
tain by  it  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere,  either 
then  or  during  our  journey.  The  weather  was  per- 
fectly clear. 

Jan.  19. — We  arose  this  morning  after  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  sound  and  comfortable  repose,  and  recom- 
menced our  journey  at  sun-rise,  but  made  slow  progress 
through  the  deep  snow.  The  task  of  beating  the 
track  for  the  dogs  was  so  very  fatiguing,  that  each  of 
the  men  took  the  lead  in  turn,  for  an  hour  and  a  half. 
The  scenery  of  the  banks  of  the  river  improved  as  we 
advanced  to-day ;  some  firs  and  poplars  were  inter- 
mixed with  the  willows.  We  passed  through  two 
creeks,  formed  by  islands,  and  encamped  on  a  pleasant 
spot  on  the  north  shore,  having  only  made  six  miles 
lind  three-quarters  actual  distance. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


49 


The  next  day  we  pursued  our  course  along  the 
river  ;  the  dogs  had  the  greatest'difficulty  in  dragging, 
their  heavy  burdens  through  the  snow.  We  halted 
to  refresh  them  at  the  foot  of  Sturgeon  Eiver,  and 
obtained  the  latitude  53°  51'  41"  N.  This  is  a  small 
stream,  which  issues  from  a  neighboring  lake.  We 
encamped  near  to  Musquito  Point,  having  walked 
about  nine  miles.  The  termination  of  the  day's 
journey  was  a  great  relief  Jto  me,  who  had  been 
suffering  during  the  greater  part  of  it,  in  consequence 
of  my  feet  having  been  galled  by  the  snow-shoes  ; 
this,  however,  is  an  evil  which  few  escape  on  their 
initiation  to  winter  traveling.  It  excites  no  pity 
from  the  more  experienced  companions  of  the  journey, 
who  travel  on  as  fast  as  they  can,  regardless  of  the 
pain  of  the  sufferer, 

Mr.  Isbester,  and  an  Orkney  man,  joined  us  from 
Cumberland  House,  and  brought  some  pemmican 
which  we  had  left  behind  ;  a  supply  which  was  sea- 
sonable after  our  recent  loss.  The  general  occupation 
of  Mr.  Isbester  during  the  winter,  is  to  follow  or  find 
out  the  Indians,  and  collect  their  furs,  and  his  present 
journey  will  appear  adventurous  to  persons  accustomed 
to  the  certainty  of  traveling  on  a  well-known  road. 
He  is  going  in  search  of  a  band  of  Indians,  of  whom 
no  information  had  been  received  since  last  October, 

and  his  only  guide  for  finding  them  was  their  promise 

3 


50 


Thirty   Years 


to  hunt  in  a  certain  quarter  ;  but  he  looked  at  the 
jaunt  with  indifferertee,  and  calculated  on  meeting 
them  in  six  or  seven  days,  for  which  time  only  he  had 
provision.  Few  persons  in  this  country  suffer  more 
from  want  of  food  than  those  occasionally  do  who  are 
employed  on  this  service.  They  are  furnished  with  a 
siifficiency  of  provision  to  serve  until  they  reach  the 
part  where  the  Indians  are  expected  to  be  ;  but  it 
frequently  occurs  that,  on  their  arrival  at  the  spot, 
they  have  gone  elsewhere,  and  that  a  recent  fall  of 
snow  has  hidden  their  track,  in  which  case  the  voyager8 
have  to  wander  about  in  search  of  them  ;  and  it  often 
happens,  when  they  succeed  in  finding  the  Indians, 
that  they  are  unprovided  with  meat.  Mr.  Isbester 
had  been  placed  in  this  distressing  situation  only  a 
few  weeks  ago,  and  passed  four  days  without  either 
himself  or  his  dogs  tasting  food.  At  length,  when  he 
had  determined  on  killing  one  of  the  dogs  to  satisfy  his 
hunger,  he  happily  met  with  a  beaten  track,  which 
led  him  to  some  Indian  lodges,  where  he  obtained  a 
supply  of  food. 

The  morning  of  the  21st  was  cold,  but  pleasant  for 
traveling.  We  left  Mr.  Isbester  and  his  companion, 
and  crossed  the  peninsula  of  Musquito  Point,  to  avoid 
a  detour  of  several  miles  which  the  river  makes. 
Though  we  put  up  at  an  early  hour,  we  gained  eleven 
miles  this  day.     Our  encampment  was  at  the  lower 


m: 


In  the  Arctic  Rcfjiona. 


51 


extremity  of  Tobin's  Falls.  The  snow  being  less  deep 
on  the  rough  ice  which  enclosed  this  rapid,  we  pro- 
ceeded, on  the  22d,  at  a  quicker  pace  than  usual, 
though  at  the  expense  of  great  suffering  to  Mr.  Back, 
myself,  and  Hepburn,  all  our  feet  being  much  galled. 
After  passing  Tobin's  Falls,  the  river  expands  to  the 
breadth  of  five  hundred  yards,  and  its  banks  are  well 
wooded  with  pines,  poplars,  birch,  and  willows.  Many 
tracks  of  moose-deer  and  wolves  were  observed  near 
the  encampment. 

On  the  23d  the  sky  was  generally  overcast,  and  there 
were  several  snow  showers.  We  saw  two  wolves  and 
some  foxes  cross  the  river  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
and  passed  many  tracks  of  the  moose  and  red  deer. 
Soon  after  we  had  encamped  the^  snow  fell  heavily, 
which  was  an  advantage  to  us  after  we  had  retired  to 
rest,  by  its  affording  an  additional  covering  to  our 
blankets.  The  next  morning,  whilst  at  breakfast,  two 
men  arrived  from  Carlton  on  their  way  to  Cumberland. 
Having  the  benefit  of  their  track,  we  were,  to  our 
great  joy,  able  to  get  on  at  a  quick  pace  without  snow- 
shoes.  My  only  regret  was,  that  the  party  proceeded 
too  fast  to  allow  Mr.  Black's  halting  occasionally,  to 
note  the  bearings  of  the  points,  and  delineate  the 
course  of  the  river,*  without  being  left  behind.     As 


*  This  was  afterwards  done  by  Dr.  Richardson  during  a  voyage  to  Carltoo 
in  the  spring. 


%' 


52 


Thirty  Years 


the  provisions  were  getting  short,  I  could  not,  there- 
fore, with  propriety,  check  the  progress  by  interrupt- 
ing the  party  ;  and,  indeed,  it  appeared  to  me  less 
necessary,  as  I  understood  the  river  had  been  carefully 
surveyed.  In  the  afternoon,  we  had  to  resume  the  in- 
cumbrance of  the  snow-shoes,  and  to  pass  over  a  rug- 
ged part  where  the  ice  had  been  piled  over  a  collection 
of  stones.  The  tracks  of  animals  were  very  abundant 
on  the  river,  particularly  near  the  remains  of  an  old 
establishment,  called  the  Lower  Nipp6ween. 

So  much  snow  had  fallen  on  the  night  of  the  24th, 
that  the  track  we  intended  to  follow  was  completely 
covered,  and  our  march  to-day  was  very  fatiguing. 
We  passed  the  remains  of  two  red-deer,  lying  at  the 
basis  of  perpendicular  cliffs,  from  the  summits  of  which 
they  had,  probably,  been  forced  by  the  wolves.  These 
voracious  animals,  who  are  inferior  in  speed  to  the 
moose  and  red-deer,  are  said  frequently  to  have  re- 
course to  this  expedie>/  in  places  where  extensive 
plains  are  bounded  by  precipitous  cliifs.  Whilst  the 
deer  are  quietly  grazing,  the  w^olves  assemble  in  great 
numbers,  and,  forming  a  crescent,  creep  slowly  towards 
the  herd  so  as  not  to  alarm  them  much  at  first,  but 
when  they  perceive  that  they  have  fairly  hemmed  in 
the  unsuspecting  creatures,  and  cut  off  their  retreat 
across  the  plain,  they  move  more  quickly,  and  with 
hideous  yells  terrify  their  prey  and  urge  them  to  flight 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


53 


great 


flight 


by  the  only  open  way,  which  is  that  towards  the  pre- 
cipice ;  appearing  to  know,  that  when  the  herd  is  once 
ut  full  speed,  it  is  easily  driven  over  the  cliflf,  the  rear- 
most urging  on  those  that  are  before.  The  wolves 
then  descend  at  their  leisure,  and  feast  on  the  mangled 
carcasses.  One  of  these  ferocious  animals  passed  close 
to  the  person  who  was  beating  the  track,  but  did  not 
offer  any  violence.  We  encamped  at  sunset,  after 
walking  thirteen  miles. 

On  the  26th,  we  were  rejoiced  at  passing  the  half- 
way point,  between  Cumberland  and  Carlton.  The 
scenery  of  the  river  was  less  agreeable  beyond  this 
point,  as  there  was  a  scarcity  of  wood.  One  of  our 
men  was  despatched  after  a  red-deer  that  appeared  on 
the  bank.  He  contrived  to  approach  near  enough  to 
fire  twice,  though  without  success,  before  the  animal 
moved  away.  After  a  fatiguing  march  of  seventeen 
miles,  we  put  up  at  the  upper  Nipp6ween,  a  deserted 
establishment  ;  and  performed  the  comfortable  opera- 
tions of  shaving  and  washing  for  the  first  time  since 
our  departure  from  Cumberland,  the  weather  having 
been  hitherto  too  severe.  "We  passed  an  uncomfort- 
able and  sleepless  night,  and  agreed  next  morning  to 
encamp  in  future  in  the  open  air,  as  preferable  to  the 
imperfect  shelter  of  a  deserted  house  without  doors  or 
windows. 

The  morning  was  extremely  cold,  but  fortunately 


54 


Thirty  Years 


the  wind  was  light,  which  prevented  our  feeling  it  se- 
verely ;  experience  indeed  had  taught  us  that  the  sen- 
sation of  cold  depends  less  upon  the  state  of  temper- 
ature, than  the  force  of  wind.  An  attempt  was  made 
to  obtain  the  latitude,  which  failed  in  consequence  of 
the  screw,  which  adjusts  the  telescope  of  the  sextant, 
being  immovably  fixed,  from  the  moisture  upon  it 
having  frozen.  The  instrument  could  not  be  replaced 
in  its  case  before  the  ice  was  thawed  by  the  fire  in  the 
evening. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  the  confluence 
of  the  south  branch  of  the  Saskatchawan.  which  rises 
from  the  rocky  mountains  near  the  sources  of  the 
northern  branch  of  the  Missouri.  At  Coles  Falls, 
which  commences  a  short  distance  from  the  branch,  we 
found  the  surface  of  the  ice  very  uneven,  and  many 
spots  of  open  water. 

We  passed  the  ruins  of  an  establishment,  which  the 
traders  had  been  compelled  to  abandon,  in  consequence 
of  the  intractable  conduct  and  pilfering  habits  of  the 
Assin^boine  Indians ;  and  we  learnt  that  all  the  resi- 
dents at  a  post  on  the  south  branch,  had  been  cut  off 
by  the  same  tribe  some  years  ago.  We  traveled 
twelve  miles  to-day.  The  wolves  serenaded  us  through 
the  night  with  a  chorus  of  their  agreeable  howling, 
but  none  of  them  ventured  near  the  encampment. 
Mr.  Back's  repose  was  disturbed  by  a  more  serious 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


65 


evil  ;  his  buffalo  robe  caught  fire,  and  the  shoes  on 
his  ft^,  being  contracted  by  the  heat,  gave  him  such 
pain,  that  he  jumped  up  in  the  cold,  and  ran  into  the 
snow  as  the  only  means  of  obtaining  relief. 

On  the  28th  we  had  a  strong  and  piercing  wind 
from  N.  W.  in  our  faces,  and  much  snow-drift ;  we 
were  compelled  to  walk  as  quick  as  we  could,  and  to 
keep  constantly  rubbing  the  exposed  parts  of  the 
skin,  to  prevent  their  being  frozen,  but  some  of  the 
party  suffered  in  spite  of  every  precaution.  We  des- 
cried three  red-deer  on  the  banks*  of  the  river,  and 
were  about  to  send  the  best  marksmen  after  them, 
when  they  espied  the  party  and  ran  away.  A  supply 
of  meat  would  have  been  very  seasonable,  as  the  men's 
provision  became  scanty,  and  the  dogs  were  without 
food,  except  a  little  burnt  leather.  Owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  wood,  we  had  to  walk  until  a  late  hour, 
before  a  good  spot  for  an  encampment  could  be  found, 
and  had  then  come  only  eleven  miles.  The  night  was 
miserably  cold  ;  our  tea  froze  in  the  tin  pots  before 
we  could  di^nk  it,  and  even  a  mixture  of  spirits  and 
water  became  quite  thick  by  congelation  ;  yet,  after 
we  lay  down  to  rest,  we  felt  no  inconvenience,  and 
heeded  not  the  wolves,  though  they  were  howling 
within  view. 

The  29th  was  also  very  cold,  until  the  sun  burst 
forth,   when  the   traveling  became   pleasant.      The 


56 


Tliirty  Years 


banks  of  the  river  are  very  scantily  supplied  with 
wood  through  the  part  we  passed  to-day.  i^  long 
track  on  the  south  shore,  called  Holms  Plains,  is  des- 
titute of  anything  like  a  tree,  and  the  opposite  bank 
has  only  stunted  willows ;  but  after  walking  sixteen 
miles,  we  came  to  a  spot  better  wooded,  and  encam'p- 
ed  opposite  to  a  remarkable  place,  called  by  the  voya- 
gers "  The  Neck  of  Land."^ 

On  the  thirtieth  we  directed  our  course  round  The 
Neck  of  Land,  which  is  well  clothed  with  pines  and 
firs  ;  though  the  opposite  or  western  bank  is  nearly 
destitute  of  wood.     This  contrast  between  the  two 
banks  continued  until  we  reached  the  commencement 
of  what  our  companions  called  the  barren  grounds, 
when  both  the  banks  were  alike  bare.     Vast  plains 
extend  behind  the  southern  bank,  which  afford  excel- 
lent pasturage  for  the  buffalo,  or  other  grazing  animals. 
In  the  evening  we  saw  a  herd  of  the  former,  but  could 
not  get  near  to  them.     After  walking  fifteen  miles  we 
encamped.     The  men's  provision  having  been  entirely 
expended  last  night,  we  shared  our  small  stock  with 
them.     The  poor  dogs  had  been  toiling  some  days  on 
the  most  scanty  fare  ;  their  rapacity,  in  consequence, 
was  unbounded  ;  they  forced  open  a  deal  box,  contain- 
ing tea,  &c.,  to  get  at  a  small  piece  of  meat  which  had 
been  incautiously  placed  in  it. 
As  soon  as  daylight  permitted,  the  party  commenc- 


I 


In  the  Arctic  Eegions. 


57 


ed  their  march,  in  the  expectation  of  reaching  Carlton 
House  to  breakfast,  but  we  did  not  arrive  until  noon, 
although  the  track  was  good.  We  were  received  by 
Mr.  Prudens,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the  post, 
with  that  friendly  attention  which  Governor  Williams' 
circular  was  calculated  to  insure  at  every  station  ;  and 
were  soon  afterwards  regaled. with  a  substantial  dish 
of  buflfalo  steaks,  which  would  have  been  thought  ex- 
cellent under  any  circumstances,  but  were  particular- 
ly relished  by  us,  though  eaten  without  either  bread 
or  vegetables,  after  our  traveling  fare  of  dried  meat 
and  pemmican.  After  this  repast,  we  had  the  com- 
fort of  changing  our  traveling  dr  9sses,  which  had  been 
worn  for  fourteen  days.  This  was  a  gratification  which 
can  only  be  truly  estimated  by  those  who  may.  have 
been  placed  under  similar  circumstances. 

Feb.  8. — Having  recovered  from  the  swellings  and 
pains  which  our  late  march  from  Cumberland  had  oc- 
casioned, we  prepared  for  the  commencement  of  our 
journey  to  Isle  d  la  Crosse,  and  requisitions  were  made 
on  both  the  establishments  for  the  means  of  convey- 
ance, and  the  necessary  supply  of  provisions  for  the 
party,  which  was  readily  furnished.  On  the  9th,  the 
carioles  and  sledges  were  loaded,  and  sent  off  after 
breakfast ;  but  Mr.  Back  and  I  remained  till  the  after- 
noon, as  Mr.  Prudens  had  offered  that  his  horses  should 

convey  us  to  the  encampment.     At  3  P.M.  we  parted 

3« 


58 


Thirty  Tears 


■•S^' 


from  our  kind  host,  and  in  passing  through  the  gate 
were  honored  with  a  salute  of  musketry.  After  riding 
six  miles,  we  joined  the  men  at  their  encampment, 
which  was  made  under  the  shelter  of  a  few  poplars. 
The  dogs  had  been  so  much  fatigued  in  wading 
through  the  very  deep  snow  with  their  heavy  burdens, 
having  to  drag  upwards  of  ninety  pounds  weight  each, 
that  they  could  get  no  farther.  Soon  after  our  arrival 
the  snow  began  to  fall  heavily,  and  it  continued 
through  the  greater  part  of  the  night. 

Our  next  day's  march  was  therefore  particularly  te- 
dious, the  snow  being  deep,  and  the  route  lying  across 
an  unvarying  level,  destitute  of  wood,  except  one 
small  cluster  of  willows.  In  the  afternoon  we  reached 
the  end  of  the  plain,  and  came  to  an  elevation,  on 
which  poplars,  willows,  and  some  pines  grew,  where 
we  encamped,  having  traveled  ten  miles.  We  crossed 
three  small  lakes,  two  of  fresh  water,  and  one  of  salt, 
near  the  latter  of  which  we  encamped,  and  were,  in 
consequence,  obliged  to  use  for  our  tea,  water  made 
from  snow,  which  has  always  a  disagreeable  taste. 

We  had  scarcely  ascended  the  hill  on  the  following 
morning,  when  a  large  herd  of  red  deer  was  perceived 
grazing  at  a  little  distance ;  and,  though  we  were 
amply  supplied  with  provision,  our  Canadian  compan- 
ions could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  endeavoring  to 
add  to  our  stock.     A  half-breed  hunter  was  therefore 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


09 


sent  after  them.  He  succeeded  in  wounding  one,  but 
not  so  as  to  prevent  its  running  off  with  the  herd,  in 
a  direction  wide  of  our  course.  A  couple  of  rabbits 
and  a  brace  of  wood  partridges  were  shot  in  the  after- 
noon. There  was  an  agreeable  variety  of  hill  and  dale  in 
the  scenery  we  passed  through  to-day ;  and  sufficient 
wood  for  ornament,  but  not  enough  to  crowd  the  pic- 
ture. The  valleys  were  intersected  by  several  small 
lakes  and  pools,  whose  snowy  covering  was  happily 
contrasted  with  the  dark  green  of  the  pine  trees  which 
surrounded  them.  After  ascending  a  moderately  high 
hill  by  a  winding  path  through  a  close  wood,  we 
opened  suddenly  upon  Lake  Iroquois,  and  had  a  full 
view  of  its  picturesque  shores.  We  crossed  it  and  en- 
camped. 

Though  the  sky  was  cloudless,  yet  the  weather  was 
warm.  We  had  the  gratification  of  finding  a  beaten 
track  soon  after  we  started  on  the  morning  of  the  12th, 
and  were  thus  enabled  to  walk  briskly.  We  crossed 
at  least  twenty  hills,  and  found  a  small  lake  or  pool 
at  the  foot  of  each.  The  destructive  ravages  of  fire 
were  visible  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  The 
only  wood  we  saw  for  miles  together  consisted  of  pine 
trees,  stript  of  their  branches  and  bark  by  this  element : 
in  other  parts  poplars  alone  were  growing,  which  we 
have  remarked  invariably  to  succeed  the  pine  after  a 
conflagration.  We  walked  twenty  miles  to-day,  but 
the  direct  distance  was  onlv  sixteen  mil«^R. 


! 


60 


Thirty  Tears 


The  remains  of  an  Indian  hut  were  found  in  a  deep 
glen,  and  close  to  it  was  placed  a  pile  of  wood,  which 
our  companions  supposed  to  cover  a  deposit  of  provi- 
sion. Our  Canadian  voyagers,  induced  by  an  insatia- 
ble desire  of  procuring  food,  proceeded  to  remove  the 
upper  pieces,  and  examine  its  contents  ;  when  to  their 
surprise,  they  found  the  body  of  a  female,  clothed  in 
leather,  which  appeared  to  have  been  recently  placed 
there.  Her  former  garments,  the  materials  for  mak- 
ing a  fire,  a  fishing  line,  a  hatchet,  and  a  bark  dish, 
were  laid  beside  the  corpse.  The  wood  was  carefully 
replaced.  A  small  owl,  perched  on  a  tree  near  the 
spot,  called  forth  many  singular  remarks  from  our 
companions,  as  to  its  being  a  good  or  bad  omen. 
*  We  walked  the  whole  of  the  13  th  over  flat  meadow 
land,  which  is  much  resorted  to  by  the  buffalo  at  all 
seasons.  We  saw  some  herds,  but  our  hunters  were 
too  unskilful  to  get  within  shot.  In  the  afternoon  we 
reached  Stinking  Lake,  which  is  nearly  of  an  oval 
form.  Its  shores  are  very  low  and  swampy,  to  which 
circumstances,  and  not  to  the  bad  quality  of  the 
waters,  it  owes  its  Indian  name.  Our  observations 
place  its  western  part  in  latitude  53°  25'  24"  N., 
longitude  107°  18'  58"  W.,  variation  20°  32'  10"  E. 

After  a  march  of  fifteen  miles  and  a  half,  we  en- 
camped among  a  few  pines,  at  the  only  spot  at  which 
we  saw  sufficient  wood  for  making  our  fire  during  the 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


61 


day.  Tho  next  morning,  about  an  hour  after  we  had 
commenced  our  march,  we  came  upon  a  beaten  track, 
and  perceived  recent  marks  of  snow-shoes.  In  a  short 
time  an  Iroquois  joined  us,  who  was  residing  with  a 
party  of  Cree  Indians,  to  secure  the  meat  and  furs 
they  should  collect,  for  the  North- West  Company. 
He  accompanied  us  as  far  as  the  stage  on  which  his 
meat  was  placed,  and  then  gave  us  a  very  pressing  in- 
vitation to  halt  for  the  day  and  partake  of  his  fare  ; 
which,  as  the  hour  was  too  early,  we  declined,  much 
to  the  annoyance  of  our  Canadian  companions,  who 
had  been  cherishing  the  prospect  of  indulging  their 
amazing  appetites  at  this  well-furnished  store,  ever 
since  the  man  had  been  with  us.  He  gave  them, 
however,  a  small  supply  previous  to  our  parting.  The 
route  now  crossed  some  ranges  of  hills,  on  which  fir, 
birch,  and  poplar,  grew  so  thickly,  that  we  had  much 
difficulty  in  getting  the  sledges  through  the  narrow 
pathway  between  them.  In  the  evening  we  descend- 
ed from  the  elevated  ground,  crossed  three  swampy 
meadows,  and  encamped  at  their  northern  extremity, 
within  a  cluster  of  large  pine-trees,  the  branches  of 
which  were  elegantly  decorated  with  abundance  of  a 
greenish  yellow  lichen.  Our  march  was  ten  miles. 
The  weather  was  very  mild,  almost  too  warm  for  the 
exercise  we  were  taking. 
We  had  a  strong  gale  from  the  N.  W.  during  the 


62 


Thirty  Years 


night,  which  subsided  as  the  morning  opened.  One 
of  the  sledges  had  been  so  much  broken  yesterday 
amongst  the  trees,  that  we  had  to  divide  its  cargo 
among  the  others.  We  started  after  this  had  been 
arranged,  and  finding  almost  immediately  a  firm  track, 
we  soon  arrived  at  some  Indian  lodges  to  which  it  led. 
The  inhabitants  were  Orees,  belonging  to  the  posts  on 
the  Saskatchawan,  from  whence  they  had  come  to  hunt 
beaver.  We  made  but  a  short  stay,  and  proceeded 
through  a  Swamp  to  Pelican  Lake.  Our  view  to  the 
right  was  bounded  by  a  range  of  lofty  hills,  which  ex- 
tended for  several  miles  in  a  north  and  south  di- 
rection, which,  it  may  be  remarked,  has  been  that  of 
all  the  hilly  land  we  have  passed  since  quitting  the 
plain. 

Pelican  Lake  is  of  an  irregular  form,  about  six  miles 
from  east  to  west,  and  eight  from  north  to  south  ;  it 
decreases  to  the  breadth  of  a  mile  towards  the  north- 
ern extremity,  and  is  there  terminated  by  a  creek. 
We  went  up  this  creek  for  a  short  distance,  and  then 
struck  into  the  woods,  and  encamped  among  a  cluster 
of  the  firs,  which  the  Canadians  term  cypres  (pinua 
inops)  ;  having  come  fourteen  miles  and  a  half. 

Feb.  16. — Shortly  after  commencing  the  journey  to- 
day, we  met  an  Indian  and  his  family  who  had  come 
from  the  houses  at  Green  Lake  ;  they  informed  us 
the  track  was  well  beaten  the  whole  way.     We,  there- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


63 


fore,  put  fbrth  our  utmost  speed  in  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing them  hy  night ;  but  were  disappointed,  and  had 
to  halt  at  dark,  about  twelve  miles  from  them,  in  a 
fisherman's  hut,  which  was  unoccupied.       Frequent 

showers  of  snow  fell  during  the  day,  and  the  atmos- 
phere was  thick  and  gloomy. 

We  started  at  an  early  hour  the  following  morning, 
and  reached  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post  to 
breakfast,  and  were  received  very  kindly  by  Mr.  Mac- 
Farlane,  the  gentleman  in  charge.  The  other  estab- 
lishment, situated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
was  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Dougal  Cameron,  one 
of  the  partners  of  the  North- West  Company,  on  whom 
Mr.  Back  and  I  called  soon  after  our  arrival,  and  were 
honored  with  a  salute  of  musketry. 

These  establishments  are  small,  but  said  to  be  well 
situated  for  the  procuring  of  furs  ;  as  the  numerous 
creeks  in  their  vicinity  are  mtich  resorted  to  by  the 
beaver,  otter,  and  musquash.  The  residents  usually 
obtain  a  superabundant  supply  of  provision.  This 
season,  however,  they  have  barely  had  sufficient  for 
their  own  support,  owing  to  the  epidemic  which  has 
incapacitated  the  Indians  for  hunting.  The  Green 
Lake  lies  nearly  north  and  south,  is  eighteen  miles  in 
lenffth,  and  does  not  exceed  one  mile  and  a  half  of 
breadth  in  any  part.  The  water  is  deep,  and  it  is  in 
consequence  one  of  the  last  lakes  in  the  country  that 


64 


Thirty  Years 


is  frozen.  Excellent  tittameg  and  trout  are  caught  in 
it  from  March  to  December,  but  after  that  time  most 
of  the  fish  remove  to  some  larger  lake. 

We  remained  two  days,  awaiting  the  return  of  some 
men  who  had  been  sent  to  the  Indian  lodges  for  meat, 
and  who  were  to  go  on  with  us.  Mr.  Back  and  I  did 
not  need  this  rest,  having  completely  surmounted  the 
pain  which  the  walking  in  snow-shoes  had  occasioned. 
We  dined  twice  with  Mr.  Cameron,  and  received  from 
him  many  useful  suggestions  respecting  our  future 
operations.  This  gentleman  having  informed  us  that 
provisions  would,  probably,  be  very  scarce  next  spring 
in  the  Athabasca  department,  in  consequence  of  the 
sickness  of  the  Indians  during  the  hunting  season,  un- 
dertook at  my  request  to  cause  a  supply  of  pemmi- 
can  to  be  conveyed  from  the  Saskatchawan  to  Isle  a 
la  Crosse  for  our  use  during  the  winter,  and  I  wrote 
to  apprize  Dr.  Kichardson  and  Mr.  Hood,  that  they 
would  find  it  at  the  latter  post  when  they  passed  ; 
and  also  to  desire  them  to  bring  as  much  as  the  canoes 
would  stow  from  Cumberland. 

The  atmosphere  was  clear  and  cold  during  our  stay  ; 
observations  were  obtained  at  the  Hudson  Bay  fort, 
lat.  54°  16'  10"  N.,  long.  107°  29'  52"  W.,  var.  22° 
6'  36"  E.  ' 

Feb.  20. — Having  been  equipped  with  carioles, 
sledges,  and  provisions,  from  the  two  posts,  we  this 


^mu 


MMt««*^MMM4ilHMtaikil 


ll>-WMi»Bi    ■■liBli^M. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


65 


day  recommenced  our  journey,  and  were  much  amused 
by  the  novelty  of  the  salute  given  at  our  departure, 
the  guns  being  principally  fired  by  the  half-breed  wo- 
men in  the  absence  of  the  men.  Our  course  was  di- 
rqgted  to  the  end  of  the  lake,  and  for  a  short  distance 
along  a  small  river ;  we  then  crossed  the  woods  to  the 
Beaver  River,  which  we  found  to  be  narrow  and  very 
serpentine,  having  moderately  high  banks.  We  en- 
camped about  one  mile  and  a  half  further  up  among 
poplars.  The  next  day  we  proceeded  along  the  river  ; 
it  was  winding,  and  about  two  hundred  yards  broad. 
We  passed  the  mouths  of  two  rivers  whose  waters  it 
receives  ;  the  latter  one,  we  were  informed,  is  a  chan- 
nel by  which  the  Indians  go  to  the  Lesser  Slave  Lake. 
The  banks  of  the  river  became  higher  as  we  advanced, 
and  were  furnished  with  pines,  poplars,  and  willows. 

Though  the  weather  was  very  cold,  we  traveled  more 
comfortably  than  at  any  preceding  time  since  our  de- 
parture from  Cumberland,  as  we  were  enabled,  by 
having  light  carioles,  to  ride  nearly  the  whole  day, 
and  to  be  warmly  covered  up  with  a  buffalo  robe. 
Mr.  M'Leod,  of  the  North- West  Company,  joined  us. 
He  had  kindly  brought  some  things  from  Green  Lake, 
which  our  sledges  could  not  carry.  Pursuing  our 
route  along  the  river,  we  reached  at  an  early  hour  the 
upper  extremity  of  the  "  Grand  Rapid,"  whc-re  the  ice 
was  BO  rough  that  the  carioles  and  sledges  had  to  be 


ee 


Thirty  Tears 


f* 


conveyed  across  a  point  of  land.  Soon  after  noon  we 
left  the  river,  inclining  N.  E.,  and  directed  our  course 
N.  W.,  until  we  reached  Long  Lake,  and  encamped  at 
its  northern  extremity,  having  come  twenty-three 
miles.  This  lake  is  about  fourteen  miles  long,  ^d 
from  three-quarters  to  one  mile  and  a  half  broad  ;  its 
shores  and  islands  low,  but  well  wooded.  There  wero 
frequent  snow-showers  during  the  day. 

Feb.  23. — The  night  was  very  stormy,  but  the  wind 
became  more  moderate  in  the  morning.  We  passed 
to-day  through  several  nameless  lakes  and  swamps  be- 
fore we  came  to  Train  Lake,  which  received  its  name 
from  being  the  place  where  the  traders  procured  the 
birch  to  make  the  sledges,  or  traineaux  ;  but  this 
wood  has  been  all  used,  and  there  only  remain  pines 
and  a  few  poplars.  We  met  some  sledges  laden  with 
fish,  kindly  sent  to  meet  us  by  Mr.  Clark,  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  directly  he  heard  of  our  approach. 
Towards  the  evening  the  weather  became  much  moie 
unpleasant ;  we  were  exposed  to  a  piercingly  cold 
wind,  and  much  snow-drift,  in  traversing  Isle  i  la 
Crosse  Lake  ;  we  were,  therefore,  highly  pleased  at 
reaching  the  .Hudson's  Bay  House  by  six  P.  M.  We 
were  received  in  the  most  friendly  manner  by  Mr. 
Clark,  and  honored  by  volleys  of  musketry  on  our  ar- 
rival. Similar  marks  of  attention  were  shewn  to  us 
on  the  following  day  by  Mr.  Bethune,  the  partner  in 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


67 


charge  of  the  North- West  Company's  fort.  I  found 
here  the  letters  which  I  had  addressed  to  the  partners 
of  the  North- West  Company,  in  the  Athabasca,  from 
Cumberland,  in  November  last.  This  circumstance 
convinced  us  of  the  necessity  of  our  present  journey. 

These  establishments  are  situated  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  lake,  and  close  to  each  other.  They  are 
forts  of  considerable  importance,  being  placed  at  a 
point  of  communication  with  the  English  River,  the 
Athabasca,  and  Columbia  Districts.  The  country 
around  them  is  low,  and  intersected  with  water,  and 
was  formerly  much  frequented  by  beavers  and  otters, 
which,  however,  have  been  so  much  hunted  by  the 
Indians,  that  their  number  is  greatly  decreased.  The 
Indians  frequenting  these  forts  are  the  Crees  and  some 
Chipewyans ;  they  scarcely  ever  come  except  in  the 
spring  and  autumn  ;  in  the  former  season  to  bring 
their  winter's  collection  of  furs,  and  in  the  latter  to  get 
the  stores  they  require. 

Three  Ohipewyan  lads  came  in  during  our  stay,  to 
report  what  furs  the  band  to  which  they  belonged  had 
collected,  and  to  desire  they  might  be  sent  for ;  the 
Indians  having  declined  briagiug  either  furs  or  meat 
themselves,  since  the  opposition  between  the  Companies 
commenced.  Mr.  Back  drew  the  portrait  of  one  of  the 
boys. 

Isle  d  la  Crosse  Lake  receives  its  name  from  an  island 


68 


Thirty  Years 


situated  near  the  forts,  on  which  *he  Indians  formerly 
assembled  annually  to  amuse  themselves  at  the  game 
of  the  Cross.  It  is  justly  celebrated  for  abundance  of 
the  finest  tittameg,  which  weigh  from  five  to  fifteen 
pounds.  The  residents  live  principally  upon  this  most 
delicious  fish,  which  fortunately  can  be  eaten  a  long 
time  without  producing  any  disrelish.  They  are  plen- 
tifully caught  with  nets  throughout  the  year,  except 
for  two  or  three  months. 

March  4. — We  witnessed  the  Aurora  Borealis  very 
brilliant,  for  the  second  time  since  our  departure  from 
Cumberland.  A  winter  encampment  is  not  a  favor- 
able situation  for  viewing  this  phenomenon,  as  the 
trees  in  general  hide  the  sky.  Arrangements  had  been 
made  for  recommencing  our  journey  to-day,  but  the 
wind  was  stormy,  and  the  snow  had  drifted  too  much 
for  traveling  with  comfort ;  we  therefore  stayed  and 
dined  with  Mr.  Bethune,  who  promised  to  render  every 
assistance  in  getting  pemmican  conveyed  to  us  from 
the  Saskatchawan,  to  be  in  readiness  for  our  canoes 
when  they  might  arrive  in  the  spring  ;  Mr.  Clark  has 
also  engaged  to  procure  six  bags  for  us,  and  to  furnish 
our  canoes  with  any  other  supplies  which  may  be 
wanted,  and  can  be  spared  from  his  post,  and  to  con- 
tribute his  aid  in  forwarding  the  pemmican  to  the 
Athabasca,  if  our  canoes  cannot  carry  it  all. 

I  feel  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  Clark,  for  much  val- 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


69 


ral- 


uable  information  respecting  the  country  and  the  In- 
dians residing  to  the  north  of  the  Slave  Lake,  and  for 
furnishing  me  with  a  list  of  stores  he  supposed  we 
should  require.  This  gentleman  had  resided  some 
years  on  the  Mackensie's  River,  and  had  been  once  so 
far  towards  its  mouth  as  to  meet  the  Esquimaux  in 
great  numbers.  But  they  assumed  such  a  hostile  at- 
titude, that  he  deemed  it  unadvisable  to  attempt  open- 
ing any  communication  with  them,  and  retreated  as 
speedily  as  he  could. 

The  observations  we  obtained  here  shewed  that  the 
chronometers  had  varied  their  rates  a  little,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  jolting  of  the  carioles  in  which  we  rode  ; 
but  their  errors  and  rates  were  ascertained  previous  to 
our  departure.  We  observed  the  position  of  this  fort 
to  be  latitude  55°  25'  35"  N.,  longitude  107«»  51'  00" 
W.,  by  lunars  reduced  back  from  Fort  Chipewyan, 
variation  22°  15'  48"  W.,  dip  84°  13'  35" 

March  5. — We  recommenced  our  journey  this  morn- 
ing, having  been  supplied  with  the  means  of  convey- 
ance by  both  the  companies  in  equal  proportions.  Mr. 
Clark  accompanied  us  with  the  intention  of  going  as 
far  as  the  boundary  of  his  district.  This  gentleman 
was  an  experienced  winter  traveler,  and  we  derived 
much  benefit  from  his  suggestions  ;  he  caused  tlie 
men  to  arrange  the  encampment  with  more  attention 
to  comfort  and  shelter  than  our  former  companions  had 


i 


70 


Thirty  Years 


done.     After  marching  eighteen  miles  we  put  up  on 
Gravel  Point,  in  the  Deep  River. 

At  nine  the  next  morning,  we  came  to  the  com- 
mencement of  Clear  Lake.  We  crossed  its  southern 
extremes,  and  then  went  over  a  point  of  land  to  Buf- 
falo Lake,  and  encamped  after  traveling  twenty-six 
miles.  After  supper  we  were  entertained  until  mid- 
night with  paddling  songs,  by  our  Canadians,  who  re- 
quired very  little  stimulus  beside  their  natural  vivac- 
ity, to  afford  us  this  diversion.  The  next  morning  we 
arrived  at  the  establishments  which  are  situated  on  the 
western  side  of  the  lake,  near  to  a  small  stream,  called 
the  Beaver  River.  They  were  small  log  buildings, 
hastily  erected  last  October,  for  the  convenience  of  the 
Indians  who  hunt  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  MacMurray, 
a  partner  in  the  N.  W.  Company,  having  sent  to  Isle 
d  la  Crosse  an  invitation  to  Mr.  Back  and  me,  our 
carioles  were  driven  to  his  post,  and  we  experienced 
the  kindest  reception.  These  posts  are  frequented  by 
only  a  few  Indians,  Crees  and  Chipewyans.  The 
country  round  is  not  iHufficiently  stocked  with  animals 
to  afford  support  to  many  families,  and  the  traders  al- 
most entirely  subsist  on  fish  caught  in  the  autumn, 
prior  to  the  lake  being  frozen.  The  water  being  shal- 
low, the  fish  remove  to  a  deeper  part,  as  soon  as  the 
lake  is  covered  with  ice.  The  Aurora  Borealis  was 
brilliantly  displayed  on  both  the  nights  we  remained 


•*«*■ 


"«W^ 


In  the  Arctic  Iteylons. 


71 


here,  but  particularly  on  the  7th,  when  its  appearances 
were  most  diversified,  and  the  motion  extremely  rapid. 
Its  coruscations  occasionally  concealed  from  sight  stars 
of  the  first  magnitude  in  passing  over  them,  at  other 
times  these  were  faintly  discerned  through  them  ; 
once  I  perceived  a  stream  of  light  to  illumine  the 
under  surface  of  some  clouds  as  it  passed  along. 
There  was  no  perceptible  noise. 

Mr.  MacMurray  gave  a  dance  to  his  voyagers  and 
the  half  breed  women  ;  this  is  a  treat  which  they  ex- 
pect on  the  arrival  of  any  stranger  at  the  post. 

We  were  presented  by  this  gentleman,  with  the 
valuable  skin  of  a  black  fox,  which  he  had  entrapped 
some  days  before  our  arrival ;  it  was  forwarded  to 
England  with  other  specimens. 

Our  observations  place  the  North- West  Company's 
house  in  latitude  Qb""  53'  00"  N.,  longitude  108«>  51' 
10"  W. ;  variation  22«>  33'  ^2"  E. 

The  shores  of  Buffalo  Lake  are  of  moderate  height, 
and  well  wooded,  but  immediately  beyond  the  bank 
the  country  is  very  swampy,  and  intersected  with 
water  in  every  direction.  At  some  distance  from  the 
western  side  there  is  a  conspicuous  hill,  which  we  hail- 
ed with  much  pleasure,  as  being  the  first  interruption 
to  the  tedious  uniform  scene  we  had  for  some  time 
passed  through. 

Ou  the  10th  we  recommenced  our  journey  after 


i  i 


,,r 


4 


■■    ■ 
I' 


72 


Thirty  Years 


breakfast  and  traveled  quickly,  as  we  had  the  advan- 
tage of  a  well  beaten  track.  At  the  end  of  eighteen 
miles  we  entered  upon  the  river  "  Locbe,"  which  has 
a  serpentine  course,  and  is  confined  between  alluvial 
banks  that  support  stunted  willows  and  a  few  pines  ; 
we  encamped  about  three  miles  further  on ;  and  in 
the  course  of  the  next  day*s  march  perceived  several 
holes  in  the  ice,  and  many  unsafe  places  for  tho 
sledges.  Our  companions  said  the  ice  of  this  river  is 
always  in  the  same  insecure  state,  even  during  the 
most  severe  winter,  which  they  attribute  to  warm 
springs.  Quitting  the  river  we  crossed  a  portage  and 
came  upon  the  Methye  Lake,  and  soon  afterwards  ar- 
rived at  the  trading  posts  situated  on  the  western  side 
of  it.  These  were  perfect  huts,  which  had  been  hastily 
built  after  the  commencement  of  the  last  winter. 
We  here  saw  two  hunters  who  were  Ohipewyan  half- 
breeds,  and  made  many  inquiries  of  them  respecting 
the  countries  we  expected  to  visit,  but  we  found  them 
quite  ignorant  of  every  part  beyond  the  Athabasca 
Lake.  They  spoke  of  Mr.  Hearne  and  cf  his  compan- 
ion Matonnabee,  but  did  not  add  to  our  stock  of  in- 
formation respecting  that  journey.  It  had  happened 
before  their  birth,  but  they  remembered  the  expedi- 
tion of  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie  towards  the  sea. 

This  is  a  picturesque  lake,  about  ten  miles  long  and 
six  broad,  and  receives  its  name  from  a  species  of  fish 


Illlil  III     II  I    I 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


73 


fting 
Lhem 
iasca 
|pan- 
in- 
lened 
)edi- 

and 
fish 


caught  in  it.  This  fish,  the  methye,  is  not  much  es- 
teemed ;  the  residents  never  eat  any  part  but  the  liver 
except  through  necessity,  the  dogs  dislike  even  that. 
The  tittameg  and  trout  are  also  caught  in  the  fall  of 
the  year. 

On  the  13th  we  renewed  our  journey,  and  parted 
from  Mr.  Clark,  to  whom  we  were  much  obliged  for 
his  hospitality  and  kindness.  We  soon  reached  the 
Methye  Portage,  and  had  a  very  pleasant  ride  across 
it  in  our  carioles.  The  track  was  good,  and  led 
through  groups  of  pines,  so  happily  placed  that  it 
would  not  have  required  a  great  stretch  of  imagina- 
tion to  fancy  ourselves  driving  through  a  well  arran- 
ged park.  We  had  now  to  cross  a  small  lake,  and 
then  gradually  ascended  hills  beyond  it,  until  we  ar- 
rived at  the  summit  of  a  lofty  chain  of  mountains, 
commanding  the  most  picturesque  and  romantic  pros- 
pect we  had  yet  seen  in  this  country.  Two  ranges  of 
high  hills  run  parallel  to  each  other  for  several  miles, 
until  the  faint  blue  haze  hides  their  particular  charac- 
ters, when  they  slightly  change  their  course,  and  are 
lost  to  the  view.  The  space  between  them  is  occu- 
pied by  nearly  a  level  plain,  through  which  a  river 
pursues  a  meandering  course,  and  receives  supplies 
from  the  creeks  and  rills  issuing  from  the  mountains 
on  each  side.  The  prospect  was  delightful  even  amid 
the  snow,  and  though  marked  with  all  the  cheerless 


4 


t 


74 


Thirty  Years 


characters  of  winter  ;  how  much  more  charming  must 
it  be  when  the  trees  are  in  leaf,  and  the  ground  is  ar- 
rayed in  summer  verdure  !  Some  faint  idea  of  the 
difference  was  conveyed  to  my  mind  by  witnessing  tho 
effect  of  the  departing  rays  of  a  brilliant  sun.  The 
distant  prospect,  however,  is  surpassed  in  grandeur  by 
the  wild  scenery  which  appeared  immediately  below 
our  feet.  There  the  eye  penetrates  into  vast  ravines 
from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  in  depth,  that  are 
clothed  with  trees,  and  lie  on  either  side  of  the  nar- 
row pathway  descending  to  the  river  over  eight  suc- 
cessive ridges  of  hills.  At  one  spot,  termed  the  Cocks- 
comb, the  passenger  stands  insulated  as  it  were  on  a 
small  slip,  where  a  false  step  might  precipitate  him 
into  the  glen.  From  this  place  Mr.  Back  took  an  in- 
teresting and  accurate  sketch  of  the  view,  to  enable 
him  to  do  which,  we  encamped  early,  having  come 
twenty-one  miles. 

The  Methye  Portage  is  about  twelve  miles  in  extent, 
and  over  this  space  the  canoes  and  all  their  cargoes 
are  carried,  both  in  going  to  and  from  the  Athabasca 
department.  It  is  part  of  the  lange  of  mountains 
which  separates  the  waters  flowing  south  from  those 
flowing  north.  According  to  Sir  Alexander  Macken- 
zie, "  this  range  of  hills  continues  in  a  S.  W.  direction 
until  its  local  height  is  lost  between  the  Saskatcha- 
wtm  and  Elk  Rivers,  close  on  the  banks  of  the  former, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


n 


mt, 
roes 
Isca 
dns 
lose 
len- 
[ion 
Iha- 
ler. 


in  latitude  53°  36'  N.,  longitude  113°  45\W.,  when 
it  appears  to  take  its  course  due  north. 

At  daylight  on  the  14th  we  began  to  descend  the 
range  of  hills  leading  towards  the  river,  and  no  small 
care  was  required  to  prevent  the  sledges  from  being 
broken  in  going  down  these  almost  perpendicular 
heights,  or  being  precipitated  into  the  glens  on  each 
side.  As  a  precautionary  measure  the  dogs  were  taken 
off,  and  the  sledges  guided  by  the  men,  notwithstand- 
ing which  they  descended  with  amazing  rapidity,  and 

the  men  were  thrown  into  the  most  ridiculous  attitudes 
in  endeavoring  to  stop  them.  When  we  had  arrived 
at  the  bottom  I  could  not  but  feel  astonished  at  the 
laborious  task  which  the  voyagers  have  twice  in  the 
year  to  encounter  at  this  place,  in  conveying  their- 
stores  backwards  and  forwards.  We  went  across  the 
Clear  Water  Eiver,  which  runs  at  the  bases  of  these 
hills,  and  followed  an  Indian  track  along  its  northern 
bank,  by  which  we  avoided  the  White  Mud  and  Good 
Portages.  We  afterwards  followed  the  river  as  far  as 
the  Pine  Portage,  when  we  passed  through  a  very  ro- 
mantic defile  of  rocks,  which  presentt  d  the  appearance 
of  Gothic  ruins,  and  their  rude  characters  were  happi- 
ly contrasted  with  the  softness  of  the  snow,  and  the 
darker  foliage  of  the  pines  which  crowned  their  sum- 
mits. We  next  crossed  the  Cascade  Portage,  which 
is  the  last  on  the  way  to  the  Athabasca  Lake,  and  we 


76 


Thirty  Years 


soon  afterwards  came  to  some  Indian  tents,  containing 
five  families,  belonging  to  the  Chipewyan  tribe.  We 
smoked  the  calumet  in  the  Chief's  tent,  whose  name  was 
the  Thumb,  and  distributed  some  tobacco  and  a  weak 
mixture  of  spirits  and  water  among  the  men.  They 
received  this  civility  with  much  less  grace  than  the 
Crees,  and  seemed  to  consider  it  a  matter  of  course. 
There  was  an  utter  neglect  of  cleanliness,  and  a  total 
want  of  comfort  in  their  tents  ;  and  the  poor  creatures 
were  miserably  clothed.  Mr.  Frazer,  who  accompanied 
us  from  the  Methye  Lake,  accounted  for  their  being 
in  this  forlorn  condition  by  explaining,  that  this  band 
of  Indians  had  recently  destroyed  every  thing  they 
possessed,  as  a  token  of  their  great  grief  for  the  loss  of 
their  relatives  in  the  prevailing  sickness.  It  appears 
that  no  article  is  spared  by  these  unhappy  men  when 
a  near  relative  dies  ;  their  clothes  and  tents  are  cut  to 
pieces,  their  guns  broken,  and  every  other  weapon 
rendered  useless,  if  some  person  do  not  remove  these  ar- 
ticles from  their  sight,  which  is  seldom  done.  Mr.  Back 
sketched  one  of  the  children.  This  delighted  the 
father  very  much,  who  charged  the  boy  to  be  very 
good  now,  since  his  picture  had  been  drawn  by  a  great 
Chief.  We  learned  that  they  prize  pictures  very 
highly,  and  esteem  any  they  can  get,  however  badly 
executed,  as  efficient  charms.  They  were  unable  to 
give  us  any  information  respecting  the  country  beyond 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


77 


yond 


the  Atliabasca  Lake,  which  is  the  boundary  of  their 
peregrinations  to  the  northward.  Having  been  ap- 
prized of  our  coming,  they  had  prepared  an  encamp- 
ment for  US  ;  but  we  had  witnessed  too  many  proofs 
of  their  importunity  to  expect  that  we  could  pass  the 
night  near  them  in  any  comfort,  whilst  either  spirits, 
tobacco,  or  sugar,  remained  in  our  possession ;  and 
therefore  preferred  to  go  about  two  miles  further 
along  the  river,  and  to  encamp  among  a  cluster  of 
fine  pine  trees,  after  a  journey  of  sixteen  miles. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  in  proceeding  along 
the  river,  we  perceived  a  strong  smell  of  sulphur,  and 
on  the  north  shore  found  a  quantity  of  it  scattered, 
which  seemed  to  have  been  deposited  by  some  spring 
in  the  neighborhood  :  it  appeared  very  pure  and  good. 
We  continued  our  course  the  whole  day  along  the 
river,  which  is  about  four  hundred  yards  wide,  has 
some  islands,  and  is  confined  between  low  land,  ex- 
tending from  the  bases  of  the  mountains  on  each  side. 
We  put  up  at  the  end  of  thirteen  miles,  and  were  then 
joined  by  a  Chipewyan,  who  came,  as  we  supposed, 
to  serve  as  our  guide  to  Pierre  au  Calumet,  but  as 
none  of  the  party  could  communicate  with  our  new 
friend,  otherwise  than  by  signs,  we  waited  patiently 
until  the  morning  to  see  what  he  intended  to  do. 
The  wind  blew  a  gale  during  the  night,  and  the  snow 
fell  heavily.     The  next  day  our  guide  led  us  to  the 


n 


TJtirty  Tears 


I  h 


Pembina  River,  which  comes  from  the  southward, 
where  we  found  traces  of  Indians,  who  appeared  to 
have  quitted  this  station  the  day  before  ;  we  had, 
therefore,  the  benefit  of  a  good  track,  which  our  dogs 
much  required,  as  they  were  greatly  fatigued,  by  hav- 
ing dragged  their  loads  through  very  deep  snow  for 
the  last  two  days.  A  moose  deer  crossed  the  river 
just  before  the  party  :  this  animal  is  plentiful  in  the 
vicinity.  We  encamped  in  a  pleasant,  well  sheltered 
place,  having  traveled  fourteen  miles. 

We  had  made  but  a  short  distance  the  following 
morning,  when  we  came  to  some  Indian  lodges,  which 
belonged  to  an  old  Chipewyan  chief,  named  the  Sun, 
and  his  family,  consisting  of  five  hunters,  their  wives, 
and  children.  They  were  delighted  to  see  us,  and 
when  the  object  of  our  expedition  had  been  explained 
to  them,  expressed  themselves  much  interested  in  our 
progress  ;  but  they  could  give  no  particle  of  informa- 
tion respecting  the  countries  beyond  the  Athabasca 
Lake.  We  smoked  with  them,  and  gave  each  person 
a  glass  of  mixed  spirits  and  some  tobacco.  We  learn- 
ed from  a  Canadian  servant  of  the  North- West  Com- 
pany, who  was  residing  with  them,  that  this  family 
had  lost  numerous  relatives,  and  that  the  destruction 
of  property,  which  had  been  made  after  their  deaths, 
was  the  only  cause  for  the  pitiable  condition  in  which 
we  saw  them.     He  said  the  whole  were  industrious 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


79 


IS, 


hunters,  and,  therefore,  were  usually  better  provided 
with  clothes,  and  other  useful  articles,  than  most  of 
the  Indians.  We  purchased  from  them  a  pair  of 
snow-shoes,  in  exchange  for  some  ammunition.  The 
Chipewyans  are  celebrated  for  making  them  good  and 
easy  to  walk  in ;  we  saw  some  here  upwards  of  six 
feet  long,  and  three  broad  ;  with  these  unwieldy  clogs 
an  active  hunter,  in  the  spring,  when  there  is  a  crust 
on  the  surface  of  the  snow,  will  run  down  a  moose  or 
red  deer. 

We  made  very  slow  progress  after  leaving  this  party, 
on  account  of  the  deep  snow,  but  continued  along  the 
river  until  we  reached  its  junction  with  the  Atha- 
basca, or  Elk  River.  Very  little  wood  has  been  seen 
during  this  day's  march.  The  western  shore,  near  the 
Forks,  is  destitute  of  trees ;  it  is  composed  of  lofty 
perpendicular  cliffs,  which  are  now  covered  with  snow. 
The  eastern  shore  supports  a  few  pines. 

March  18. — Soon  after  our  departure  from  the  en- 
campment we  met  two  men,  from  the  establishment 
at  Pierre  au  Calumet,  who  gave  us  correct  informa- 
tion of  the  situation  and  distance.  Having  the  bene- 
fit of  their  track,  we  marched  at  a  tolerably  quick 
pace,  and  made  twenty-two  miles  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  though  the  weather  was  very  disagreeable  for 
traveling,  being  stormy,  with  constant  snow.  We 
kept  along  the  river  the  whole  time ;  its  breadth  is 


80 


Thirty  Years 


about  two  miles.  The  islands  appear  better  furnish- 
ed with  wood  than  its  banks,  the  summits  of  which 
are  almost  bare.  Soon  after  we  had  encamped  our 
Indian  guide  rejoined  us ;  he  had  remained  behind 
yesterday,  to  accompany  a  friend  on  a  hunting  excur- 
sion, without  consulting  us.  On  his  return  this  even- 
ing he  made  no  endeavor  to  explain  the  reason  of  his 
absence,  but  sat  down  coolly,  and  began  to  prepare  his 
supper. 

Showers  of  snow  fell  until  noon  on  the  following 
day,  but  we  continued  our  journey  along  the  river, 
whose  banks  and  islands  became  gradually  lower  as  we 
advanced,  and  less  abundantly  supplied  with  wood, 
except  willows.  We  came  up  with  an  old  Canadian, 
who  was  resting  his  wearied  dogs  during  the  heat  of 
the  sun.  He  was  carrying  meat  from  some  Indian 
lodges  to  Fort  Chipewyan,  having  a  burden  exceeding 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  on  his  sledge,  which 
was  dragged  by  two  miserable  dogs.  He  came  up  to 
our  encampment  after  dark.  We  were  much  amused 
by  the  altercation  that  took  place  between  him  and  our 
Canadian  companions  as  to  the  qualifications  of  their 
respective  dogs.  This,  however,  is  such  a  general  topic 
of  conversation  among  the  voyagers  in  the  encampment, 
that  we  should  not  probably  have  remarked  it,  had 
not  the  old  man  frequently  offered  to  bet  the  whole  of 
his  wages  that  his  two  dogs,  poor  and  lean  as  they 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


81 


were,  would  drag  their  load  to  the  Athabasca  Lake  in 
less  time  than  any  three  of  theirs  could.  Having  ex- 
pressed our  surprise  at  his  apparent  temerity,  he  coolly 
said  the  men  from  the  lower  countries  did  not  under- 
stand the  management  of  their  dogs,  and  that  he  de- 
pended on  his  superior  skill  in  driving  ;  and  we  soon 
gathered  from  his  remarks,  that  the  voyagers  of  the 
Athabasca  department  consider  themselves  as  very  su- 
perior to  any  other.  The  only  reasons  which  he  could 
assign  were,  that  they  had  borne  their  burdens  across 
the  terrible  Methye  Portage,  and  that  they  were  ac- 
customed to  live  harder  and  more  precariously. 

March  25. — Having  now  the  guidance  of  an  old  Ca- 
nadian, we  sent  forward  the  Indian,  and  one  of  our 
men,  with  letters  to  the  gentleman  at  the  Athabasca 
Lake.  The  rest  of  the  party  set  off  afterwards,  and 
kept  along  the  river  until  ten,  when  we  branched  off 
by  portages  into  the  Embarrass  River,  the  usual  chan- 
nel of  communication  in  canoes  with  the  lake.  It  is 
a  narrow  and  serpentine  stream,  confined  between  al- 
luvial banks  which  support  pines,  poplars,  and  willows. 
We  had  not  advanced  far  before  we  came  up  with  the 
two  men  despatched  by  us  this  morning.  The  stormy 
weather  had  compelled  them  to  encamp,  as  there  was 
too  much  drifting  of  the  snow  for  any  attempt  being 
made  to  cross  the  lake.  We  were  obliged,  though 
most  reluctantly,  to  follow  their  example  ;  but  we  com- 


4» 


82 


Thirty  Years 


forted  ourselves  with  the  reflection  that  this  was  the 
first  time  we  had  been  stopped  by  the  weather  during 
our  long  journey,  which  was  so  near  at  an  end.  The 
gale  afterwards  increased,  the  squalls  at  night  became 
very  violent,  disburthened  the  trees  of  the  snow,  and 
gave  us  the  benefit  of  a  continual  fall  of  patches  from 
them,  in  addition  to  the  constant  shower.  We  there- 
fore quickly  despatched  our  suppers,  and  retired  under 
the  shelter  of  our  blankets. 

March  26. — The  boisterous  weather  continued 
through  the  night,  and  it  was  not  before  six  this  morn- 
ing^ that  the  wind  became  apparently  moderate,  and  the 
snow  ceased.  Two  of  the  Canadians  were  immediately 
sent  off  with  letters  to  the  gentlemen  at  Fort  Chipew- 
yan.  After  breakfast  we  also  started,  but  our  Indian 
friend,  having  a  great  indisposition  to  move  in  such 
weather,  remained  by  the  fire.  We  soon  quitted  the 
river,  and  after  crossing  a  portage,  a  small  lake,  and  a 
point  of  land,  came  to  the  borders  of  the  Mam-ma- 
wee  Lake.  We  then  found  our  error  as  to  the  strength 
of  the  wind  ;  and  that  the  gale  still  blew  violently, 
and  there  was  so  much  drifting  of  the  snow  as  to 
cover  the  distant  objects  by  which  our  course  could  be 
directed.  We  fortunately  got  a  glimpse  through  this 
cloud  of  a  cluster  of  islands  in  the  direction  of  the 
houses,  and  decided  on  walking  towards  them  ;  but  in 
doing  this  we  suffered  very  much  from  the  cold,  and 


:^        In  the  Arctic  Eegiona. 


;- 


were  obliged  to  halt  under  the  shelter  of  them,  and 
await  the  arrival  of  our  Indian  guide.  He  conducted 
us  between  these  islands,  over  a  small  lake,  and  by  a 
swampy  river,  into  the  Athabasca  Lake,  from  whence 
the  establishments  were  visible.  At  four  p.  M.  we  had 
the  pleasure  of  arriving  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  and  of 
being  received  by  Messrs.  Keith  and  Black,  the  part- 
ners of  the  North-West  Company  in  charge,  in  the 
most  kind  and  hospitable  manner.  Thus  has  termina- 
ted a  winter's  journey  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
miles,  in  the  progress  of  which  there  has  been  a  great 
intermixture  of  agreeable  and  disagreeable  circum- 
stances. Could  the  amount  of  each  be  ballanced,  I 
suspect  the  latter  would  much  preponderate  ;  and 
amongst  these  the  initiation  into  the  practice  of  walk- 
ing in  snow-shoes  must  be  considered  as  prominent. 
The  suffering  it  occasions  can  be  but  faintly  imagined 
by  a  person  who  thinks  upon  the  inconvenience  of 
marching  with  a  weight  of  between  two  and  three 
pounds  constantly  attached  to  galled  feet,  and  swelled 
ankles.  Perseverance  and  practice  only  will  enable 
the  novice  to  surmount  this  pain. 

The  next  evil  is  the  being  constantly  exposed  to 
witness  the  wanton  and  unnecessary  cruelty  of  the 
men  to  their  doga,  especially  those  of  the  Canadians, 
who  beat  them  unmercifully,  and  habitually  vent  on 
them  the  most  dreadful  and  disgustirg  imprecations. 


s 


84 


Thirty  Years 


There  are  other  inconveniences  which,  though  keenly 
felt  during  the  day's  journey,  are  speedily  forgotten, 
when  stretched  out  in  the  encampment  before  a  large 
fire,  you  enjoy  the  social  mirth  of  your  companions, 
who  usually  pass  the  evening  in  recounting  their  for- 
mer feats  in  traveling.  At  this  time  the  Canadians 
are  always  cheerful  and  merry,  and  the  only  bar  to 
their  comfort  arises  from  the  frequent  interruption  oc- 
casioned by  the  dogs,  who  are  constantly  prowling 
about  the  circle,  ai^d  snatching  at  every  kind  of  food 
that  happens  to  be  within  their  reach.  These  useful 
animals  are  a  comfort  to  them  afterwards,  by  the 
warmth  they  impart  when  lying  down  by  their  side  or 
feet,  as  they  usually  do.  But  the  greatest  gratifica- 
.tions  a  traveler  in  these  regions  enjoys,  are  derived 
from  the  hospitable  welcome  ho  receives  at  every 
trading  post,  however  poor  the  means  of  the  host  may 
be  ;  and  from  being  disrobed  even  for  a  short  time  of 
the  trappings  of  a  voyager,  and  experiencing  the  plea- 
sures of  cleanliness. 

The  following  are  the  estimated  distances,  in  stat- 
ute miles,  which  Mr.  Back  and  I  have  traveled  since 
our  departure  from  Cumberland  ; 

From  Cumberland  House  to  Carlton  IIousu    ....  268 

From  Cnrlton  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse 280 

From  Isle  a  la  Crosse  to  North  side  of  the  Methyo  Poitago  124 

From  the  Methye  Portage  to  Fort  Chipewyan    -    -    -  240 

867  Miles. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


85 


CHAPTER    IV. 


it- 


les, 


M^JSaa.  On  the  day  of  our  arrival  at  Fort  Chipe- 
wyan  we  called  upon  Mr.  MacDonald,  the  gentleman 
in  charge  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Establishment,  called 
Fort  Wedderbume,  and  delivered  to  him  Governor 
Williams's  circular  letter,  which  desired  that  every  as- 
sistance should  be  given  to  further  our  progress,  and  a 
statement  of  the  requisitions  which  we  should  have  to 
make  on  his  post. 

Our  first  object  was  to  obtain  some  certain  informa- 
tion respecting  our  future  route  ;  and  accordingly  we 
received  from  one  of  the  North- West  Company's  in- 
terpreters, named  Beaulieu,  a  half-breed,  who  had 
been  brought  up  amongst  the  Dog-ribbed  and  Copper 
Indians,  some  satisfactory  information,  which  we  after- 
wards found  tolerably  correct,  respecting  the  mode  of 
reaching  the  Copper-mine  lliver,  which  he  had  de- 
scended a  considerable  way,  as  well  as  of  the  course  of 
that  river  to  its  mouth.  The  Copper  Indians,  how- 
ever, he  said,  would  bo  able  to  give  us  more  accurate 


86 


Thirty  Tears 


information  as  to  the  ^^tter  part  of  its  course^  as  they 
occasionally  pursue  it  on  the  sea.  He  sketched  on  the 
floor  a  representation  of  the  river,  and  a  line  of  coast 
accordins:  to  his  idea  of  it.  Just  as  he  had  finished, 
an  old  Chipewyan  Indian,  named  Black  Meat,  unex- 
pectedly came  in,  and  instantly  recognized  the  plan. 
He  then  took  the  charcoal  from  Beaulieu,  and  inserted 
a  track  along  the  sea-coast,  which  he  had  followed  in 
returning  from  a  war  excursion,  made  by  his  tribe 
against  the  Esquimaux.  He  detailed  several  particu- 
lars of  the  coast  and  the  sea,  which  he  represented  as 
studded  with  well-wooded  islands,  and  free  from  ice, 
close  to  the  shore,  but  not  to  a  great  distance,  in  the 
month  of  July.  He  described  two  other  rivers  to  the 
eastward  of  Copper-mine  River,  which  also  fall  into 
the  Northern  Ocean.  The  Anatessy,  which  issues  from 
the  Contway-to  or  Rum  Lake,  and  the  Thloueea-tessy 
or  Fish  River,  which  rises  near  the  eastern  boundary 
of  the  Great  Slave  Lake  ;  but  he  represented  them 
both  as  being  shallow,  and  too  much  interrupted  by 
barriers  for  being  navigated  in  any  other  than  small 
Indian  canoes. 

Having  received  this  satisfactory  intelligence,  I 
wrote  immediately  to  Mr.  Smith,  of  the  North- West 
Company,  and  Mr.  M'Vicar,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  the  gentlemen  in  charge  of  the  posts  at  the 
Great  Silver  Lake,  to  communicate  the  object  of  the 


In  the  Arctic  Begtons. 


87 


ExpeditioD,  and  our  proposed  route  ;  and  to  solicit 
any  information  they  possessed,  or  could  collect,  from 
the  Indians,  relative  to  the  countries  we  had  to  pass 
through,  and  the  best  manner  of  proceeding.  As  the 
Copper  Indians  frequent  the  establishment  on  the 
north  side  of  the  lake,  I  particularly  requested  them 
to  explain  to  that  tribe  the  object  of  our  visit,  and 
to  endeavor  to  procure  from  them  some  guides  and 
hunters  to  accompany  our  party.  Two  Canadiani 
were  sent  by  Mr.  Keith  with  these  letters. 

The  month  of  April  commenced  with  fine  and  clear 
but  extremely  cold  weather  ;  unfortunately  we  wei9 
still  without  a  thermometer,  and  could  not  ascertain 
the  degrees  of  temperature.  The  coruscations  of  the 
Aurora  were  very  brilliant  almost  every  evening  of  the 
first  week,  and  were  generally  of  the  most  variable 
kind.  On  the  3d,  they  were  particularly  changeable. 
The  first  appearance  exhibited  three  illuminated  beams 
issuing  from  the  horiz(ja  in  the  north,  east,  and  west 
points,  and  directed  towards  the  zenith  ;  in  a  few 
seconds  these  disappeared,  and  a  complete  circle  was 
displayed,  bounding  the  horizon  at  an  elevation  of 
fifteen  degrees.  There  was  a  quick  lateral  motion  in 
the  atten|iated  beams  of  which  this  zone  was  compos- 
ed. Its  color  was  a  pale  yellow,  with  an  occasional 
tinge  of  red. 

On  the  8th  of  April  the  Indians  saw  some  geese  in 


88 


Thirty  Years 


the  vicinity  of  this  lake,  but  none  of  the  migratory 
birds  appeared  near  to  the  houses  before  the  15th,  when 
some  swans  flew  over.  These  are  generally  the  first 
that  arrive  ;  the  weather  had  been  very  stormy  for  the 
four  preceding  days,  and  this  in  all  probability  kept 
the  birds  from  venturing  farther  north  than  where  the 
Indians  had  first  seen  them. 

In  the  middle  of  the  month  the  snow  began  to  waste 
daily,  and  by  degrees  it  disappeared  from  the  hills  and 
the  surface  of  the  lake.  On  the  17th  and  19th  the 
Aurora  appeared  very  brilliant  in  patches  of  light, 
bearing  N.W.  An  old  Cree  Indian  having  found  a 
beaver  lodge  near  to  the  fort,  Mr.  Keith,  Back,  and  I, 
accompanied  him  to  see  the  method  of  breaking  into 
it,  and  their  mode  of  taking  those  interesting  ani- 
mals. The  lodge  was  constructed  on  the  side  of  a 
rock  in  a  small  lake,  having  the  entrance  inta  it  be- 
neath* the  ice.  The  frames  were  formed  of  layers  of 
sticks,  the  interstices  being  filled  with  wood,  and  the 
outsiuo  vfas  plastered  with  earth  and  stones,  which 
the  frost  had  so  completely  consolidated,  that  to  break 
through  required  great  labor,  with  the  aid  of  the  ice 
chisel,  and  the  other  iron  instruments  which  the  bea- 
ver hunters  use.  The  chase,  however,  w(\s  unsuc- 
cessful, as  the  beaver  had  previously  evacuated  the 
lodge. 

The  firHt  geese  we  observed  flying  near  to  the  fort 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


89 


were  seen  on  the  2l8t,  and  some  were  brought  to  the 
house  on  the  30th,  but  they  were  very  lean  ;  on  the 
25th  flies  were  seen  sporting  in  the  sun,  and  on  the 
26th  the  ice  on  the  lake,  near  the  channel  of  the  river, 
was  overflowed,  in  consequence  of  the  Athabasca  river 
having  broken  up  ;  but  except  where  this  water  spread, 
there  was  no  appearance  of  decay  in  the  ice. 

May. — During  the  first  part  of  this  month,  the  wind 
blew  from  the  N.W.,  and  the  sky  was  cloudy.  It 
generally  thawed  during  the  day,  but  froze  through 
the  night.  On  the  2d  the  Aurora  faintly  gleamed 
through  very  dense  clouds. 

We  had  a  long  conversation  with  Mr.  Dease  of  the 
North- West  Company,  who  had  recently  arrived  from 
his  station  at  the  bottom  of  the  Athabasca  Lake. 
This  gentleman,  having  passed  several  winters  on  the 
Mackenzie's  Eiver,  and  at  the  posts  to  the  northward 
of  Slave  Lake,  possessed  considerable  information  res- 
pecting the  Indians,  and  those  parts  of  the  country 
to  which  our  inquiries  were  directed,  which  he  very 
promptly  and  kindly  communicated.  During  our  con- 
versation, an  old  Chipewyan  Indian,  named  the  Bab- 
bit's Head,  entered  the  room,  to  whom  Mr.  Dease  re- 
ferred for  information  on  some  point.  We  found  from 
his  answer  that  he  was  a  step  son  of  the  late  Chief 
Matonnabee,  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Ilearne  on  his 
journey  to  the  sea,  and  that  he  had  himself  been  of 


90 


Thirty  Years 


• 


the  party,  but  being  then  a  mere  boy,  he  had  forgot- 
ten many  of  the  circumstances.  He  confirms,  how- 
ever, the  leading  incidents  related  by  Hearne,  and  was 
positive  he  reached  the  sea,  though  he  admitted  that 
none  of  the  party  had  tasted  the  water.  He  repre- 
sented himself  to  be  the  only  survivor  of  that  party. 
As  he  was  esteemed  a  good  Indian,  I  presented  him 
with  a  medal,  which  he  received  gratefully,  and  con- 
cluded a  long  speech  upon  the  occasion,  by  assuring 
me  he  should  preserve  it  carefully  all  his  life. 

On  the  10th  of  May  we  were  gratified  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  spring,  though  the  ice  remained  firm  on 
the  lake.  The  anemone  (pulsatilla,  pasque  flower,) 
appeared  this  day  in  flower,  the  trees  began  to  put 
forth  their  leaves,  and  the  musquitoes  visited  the  warm 
rooms.  On  the  17th  and  18th  there  were  frequent 
ehowers  of  rain,  and  much  thunder  and  lightning. 
This  moist  weather  caused  the  ice  to  waste  so  rapidly, 
^hat  by  the  24th  it  had  entirely  disappeared  from  the 
lake.  The  gentlemen  belonging  to  both  the  Compa- 
nies quickly  arrived  from  the  different  posts  in  this 
department,  bringing  their  winter's  collection  of  furs, 
which  are  forwarded  from  these  establishments  to  the 
depots. 

July  2. — The  canoe,  which  was  ordered  to  be  built 
for  our  use,  was  finished,  as  it  was  constructed  after 
the  manner,  which  has  been  accurately  described  by 


|V,--i!:r2=r: 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


91 


tning. 


Heame,  and  several  of  the  American  travelers,  a  detail 
of  the  process  will  be  unnecessary.  Its  extreme 
length  was  thirty- two  feet  six  inches,  including  the 
bow  and  stem  pieces  ;  its  greatest  breadth  was  four 
feet  ten  inches,  but  it  was  only  two  feet  nine  inches 
forward  where  the  bowman  sat,  and  two  feet  four  inches 
behind  where  the  steersman  was  placed  ;  and  its  depth 
was  one  foot  eleven  and  a  quarter  inches.  There  were 
seventy-three  hoops  of  thin  cedar,  and  a  layer  of  slen- 
der laths  of  the  same  wood  within  the  frame.  These 
feeble  vessels  of  bark  will  carry  twenty-five  pieces  of 
gooda,  each  weighing  ninety  pounds,  exclusive  of  the 
necessary  provision  and  baggage  for  the  crew  of  fivo 
or  six  men,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  about  three 
thousand  three  hundred  pounds'  weight.  This  great 
lading  they  annually  carry  between  the  depfitsand  the 
posts,  in  the  interior  ;  and  it  rarely  happens  that  any 
accidents  occur,  if  they  are  managed  by  experienced 
bowmen  and  steersmen,  on  whose  skill  the  safety  of 
the  canoe  entirely  depends  in  the  rapids  and  difficult 
places.  When  a  total  portage  is  made,  these  two  men 
carry  the  canoe,  and  they  often  run  with  it,  though  its 
weight  id  estimated  at  about  three  hundred  pounds, 
exclusive  of  the  poles  and  oars,  which  are  occasionally 
left  in  where  the  distance  is  short. 

July  13. — This  morning  Mr.  Back  and  I  had  the 
sincere  gratification  ot  trelcoming  our  Icmg  separated 


92 


TJiirty  Tears 


friends,  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood,  who  arrived  in 
perfect  health  with  two  canoes,  having  made  a  very 
expeditious  journey  from  Cumberland,  notwithstand- 
ing they  were  detained  near  three  days  in  consequence 
of  the  melancholy  loss  of  one  of  their  bowmen,  by 
the  upsetting  of  a  canoe  in  a  strong  rapid  ;  but,  as 
the  occurrences  of  this  journey,  together  with  the 
mention  of  some  other  circumstances  that  happened 
previous  to  their  departure  from  Cumberland,  which 
have  been  extracted  from  Mr.  Hood's  narrative,  will 
appear  in  the  following  chapter,  it  will  be  unnecessa- 
ry to  enter  farther  into  these  points  now. 

The  zeal  and  talent  displayed  by  Dr.  Richardson 
and  Mr.  Hood  in  the  discharge  of  their  several  duties, 
since  my  separation  from  them,  drew  forth  my  highest 
approbation.  These  gentlemen  had  brought  all  the 
stores  they  could  procure  from  the  establishments  at 
Cumberland  and  at  Isle  &  la  Crosse  ;  and  at  the  latter 
place  they  had  received  ten  bags  of  pemmican  from 
the  North- West  Company,  whic".  proved  to  be  mouldy 
and  so  totally  unfit  for  use  that  it  was  left  at  the  Me- 
thye  portage.  They  got  none  from  the  Hudson's  Bay 
post.  The  voyagers  belonging  to  that  Company, 
being  destitute  of  provisions,  had  eate.n  what  was  in- 
tended for  us.  In  consequence  of  these  untoward 
circumstances,  the  canoes  arrived  with  only  one's  day 
supply  of  this  most  essentiar  article.^  The  prospect 


BBM 


mm 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


93 


of  having  to  commence  our  journey  from  hence,  almost 
destitute  of  provision,  and  scantily  supplied  with 
stores,  was  distressing  to  us,  and  very  discouraging  to 
the  men.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  any  unneces- 
sary delay  here  would  have  been  very  imprudent,  as 
Fort  Chipewyan  did  not,  at  the  present  time,  furnish 
the  means  of  subsistence  for  so  large  a  party,  much 
less  was  there  a  prospect  of  our  receiving  any  supply 
to  carry  with  us.  We,  therefore,  hastened  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  our  speedy  departure. 
All  the  stores  were  demanded  that  could  possibly  bo 
spared  from  both  the  establishments  ;  and  we  rejoiced 
to  find,  that  when  this  collection  was  added  to  the  ar- 
ticles that  had  been  brought  up  by  the  canoes,  that 
we  had  a  sufficient  quantity  of  clothing  for  the  equip- 
ment of  the  men  who  had  been  engaged  here,  as  well 
as  to  furnish  a  present  to  the  Indians,  besides  some 
few  goods  for  the  winter's  consumption  ;  but  we  could 
not  procure  any  ammunition,  which  was  the  most  es- 
sential article,  or  spirits,  and  but  little  tobacco. 

We  then  made  a  final  arrangement  respecting  the 
voyagers,  who  were  to  accompany  the  party  ;  and  for- 
tunately, there  was  no  difficulty  in  doing  this,  as  Dr. 
Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood  had  taken  the  very  judicious 
precaution  of  bringing  up  ten  men  from  Cumberland, 
who  were  engaged  to  proceed  forward  if  their  services 
were  required.     The  Canadians,  whom  they  brought, 


«> 

^^^.o. 


A1^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


I 


|iO     ^^" 

It!  m 


125 


1.25  III  1.4 


12.0 

M 

■  1.6 


Photograjiiic 

Sdeiices 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STMiT 

WfBSTIt.N.Y.  14SM 

(716)«72-4S03 


■•  It 


94 


Thirty  Years 


were  most  desirous  of  being  continued,  and  we  felt  sin- 
cere pleasure  in  being  able  to  keep  men  who  were  so 
zealous  in  the  cause,  and  who  had  given  proofs  of  their 
activity  on  their  recent  passage  to  this  place,  by  dis- 
charging those  men  who  were  less  willing  to  undertake 
the  journey  ;  of  these  three  were  Englishman,  one 
American,  and  three  Canadians.  When  the  numbers 
were  completed,  which  we  had  been  recommended  by 
the  traders  to  take  as  a  protection  against  the  Esqui- 
maux, we  had  sixteen  Canadian-voyagers,  and  our 
worthy  and  only  English  attendant  John  Hepburn, 
besides  the  two  interpreters  whom  we  were  to  receive 
at  the  Great  Slave  Lake ;  we  were  also  accompanied 
by  a  Chipewyan  woman.  An  equipment  of  goods 
was  given  to  each  of  the  men  who  had  been  engaged 
at  this  place,  similar  to  what  had  been  furnished  to  the 
others  at  Cumberland  ;  and  when  this  distribution 
had  been  made,  the  remainder  were  made  up  into 
bales,  preparatory  to  our  departure  on  the  following 
day.  We  were  cheerfully  assisted  in  these  and  all  our 
occupations  by  Mr.  Smith,  who  evinced  an  anxious 
desire  to  supply  our  warns  as  flxr  as  his  means  per- 
mitted. 


^ 


mm 


tmm 


In  the  Arctic  Rigions. 


95 


CHAPTEK   V. 


:^'-S*-- 


^ 


*■• 


juiy^'s.  Early  this  morning  the  stores  were  distributed 
to  the  three  canoes.  Our  stock  of  provision  unfortu- 
nately did  not  amount  to  more  than  suflficient  for  one 
day's  consumption,  exclusive  of  two  barrels  of  flour, 
three  cases  of  preserved  meats,  some  chocolate,  arrow- 
root, and  portable  soup,  which  we  had  brought  from 
England,  and  intended  to  reserve  for  our  journey  to 
the  coast  next  season.  Seventy  pounds  of  moose  meat 
and  a  little  barley  were  all  that  Mr.  Smith  was  ena- 
>bled  to  give  us.  It  was  gratifying,  however,  to  per- 
'  ceive  that  this  scarcity  of  food  did  not  depress  the 
spirits  of  our  Canadian  companions,  who  cheerfully 

.  loaded  their  canoes,  and  embarked  in  high  glee  after 
.  they  had  received  the  customary  dram.  At  noon  we 
bade  farewell  to  our  kind  friend  Mr.  Smith.  The 
crews  commenced  a  lively  paddling  song  on  quitting 
the  shore,  which  was  continued  until  we  had  lost 
sight  of  the  houses.     We  soon  reached  the  wastern 

>  V  boundary  of  the  lake,  and  at  two  entered  the  Stoney 
Kiver,  one  of  the  discharges  of  the  Athabasca  Lake, 


wnB  ii.  'Ill*  •^^•j'.  m* 


96 


Thirty  Years 


into  the  Slave  River,  and  having  a  favoring  current 
passed  swiftly  along.     This  narrow  stream  is  confined 
between  low  swampy  banks,  which  support  willows, 
dwarf  birch,  and  alder.     At  five  we  passed  its  conflux 
with  Peace  River.     The  Slave  River,  formed  by  the 
union  of  these  streams,  is  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  wide.     We  descended  this  magnificent  river  with 
much  rapidity,  and  after  passing  through  several  nar- 
row channels,  formed  by  an  assemblage  of  islands, 
crossed  a  spot  where  the  waters  had  a  violent  whirl- 
ing motion,  which,  when  the  river  is  low,  is  said  to 
subside  into  a  dangerous  rapid  ;  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, no  other  inconvenience  was  felt  than  the  inabili- 
ty of  steering  the  canoes,  which  were  whirled  about  in 
every  direction  by  the  eddies,  until  the  current  carried 
them  beyond  their  influence.     We  encamped  at  seven, 
on  the  swampy  bank  of  the  river,  but  had  scarcely 
pitched  the  tents  before  we  were  visited  by  a  terrible 
thunder-storm  ;  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the  vio- 
lence of  the  wind  caused   the  river  to  overflow  its 
banks,  so  that  we  were  completely  flooded.     Swarms 
of  musquitoes  succeeded  the  storm,  and  their  torment- 
ing stings,  superadded  to  other  inconveniences,  induced 
us  to  embark,  and,  after  taking  a  hasty  supper,  to 
pursue  our  voyage  down  the  stream  during  the  night. 
At  six  on  the  following  morning  we  passed  the 
Reindeer  Islands,  and  at  ten  reached  the  entrance  of 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


97 


the  Dog  Kiver,  where  we  halted  to  set  the  fishing  nets. 
These  were  examined  in  the  evening,  but  to  our  mor- 
tification we  obtained  only  four  small  trout,  and  were 
compelled  to  issue  part  of  our  preserved  meats  for  sup- 
per. The  latitude  of  the  mouth  of  Dog  Eiver,  was 
observed  59°  52'  16"  N. 

The  nets  were  taken  up  at  daylight,  but  they  fur- 
nished only  a  solitary  pike.  We  lost  no  time  in  em- 
barking, and  crossed  the  crooked  channel  of  the  Dog 
Kapid,  when  two  of  the  canoes  came  in  such  violent 
contact  with  each  other,  that  the  sternmost  had  its 
bow  broken  off".  We  were  fortunately  near  to  the 
shore,  or  the  disabled  canoe  would  have  sunk.  The 
injury  being  repaired  in  two  hours,  we  again  embarked, 
and  having  descended  another  rapid,  arrived  at  the 
Cassette  Portage  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  paces,  over 
which  the  cargoes  and  canoes  were  carried  in  about 
twenty-six  minutes.  We  next  passed  through  a  nar- 
row channel  full  of  rapids,  crossed  the  Portajge  d'Em- 
barras  of  seventy  yards  ;  and  the  portage  of  the  Little 
Bock,  of  three  hundred  yards,  at  which  another  acci- 
dent happened  to  one  of  the  canoes,  by  the  bowman 
slipping  and  letting  it  fall  upon  a  rock,  and  breaking 
it  in  two.  Two  hours  were  occupied  in  sewing  the  de- 
tached pieces  together,  and  covering  the  seam  with 
pitch  ;  but  this  being  done,  it  was  as  effective  as  be- 
fore.    After  leaving  this  place  we  soon  came  to  the 


5 


98 


Thirty  Years 


next  portage,  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  paces  ; 
and  shortly  afterwards  to  the  Mountain  Portage,  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  :  which  is  appropriately  named, 
as  the  path  leads  over  the  summit  of  a  high  hill. 
This  elevated  situation  commands  a  very  grand  and 
picturesque  view,  for  some  miles  along  the  river,  which 
at  this  part  is  ahout  a  mile  wide. 

We  next  crossed  a  portage  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  yards  ;  and  then  the  Pelican  portage  of  eight 
hundred  paces.  Mr.  Back  took  an  accurate  sketch  of 
the  interesting  scenery  which  the  river  presents  at  this 
place.  After  descending  six  miles  further  we  came  to 
the  last  portage  on  the  route  to  Slave  Lake,  which  we 
crossed,  and  encamped  at  its  lower  end.  It  is  called 
'*  The  Portage  of  the  Drotoned"  and  it  received  that 
name  from  a  melancholy  accident  which  took  place 
many  years  ago.  Two  canoes  arrived  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  portage,  in  one  of  which  there  was  an  ex- 
perienced guide.  This  man,  judging  from  the  height 
of  the  river,  deemed  it  practicable  to  shoot  the  rapid, 
and  determined  upon  trying  it.  He  accordingly  -^^ 
placed  himself  in  the  bow  of  his  canoe,  having  pre- 
viously agreed,  that  if  the  passage  was  found  easy,  he 
should,  on  reaching  the  bottom  of  the  rapid,  fire  a 
musket,  as  a  signal  for  the  other  canoe  to  follow. 
The  rapid  proved  dangerous,  and  called  forth  all  the 
skill  of  the  guide,  and  the  utmost  exertion  of  his 


W' ' 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


99 


crew,  and  they  narrowly  escaped  destruction.  Just 
as  they  were  landing,  an  unfortunate  fellow,  seizing 
the  loaded  fowling-piece,  fired  at  a  duck  which  rose 
at  the  instant.  The  guide  anticipating  the  conse- 
quences, ran  with  the  utmost  haste  to  the  other  end 
of  the  portage,  but  he  was  too  late  :  the  other  canoe 
had  pushed  off,  and  he  arrived  only  to  witness  the 
fate  of  his  comrades.  They  got  alarmed  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  rapid,  the  canoe  was  upset,  and  every  man 
perished. 

The  various  rapids  we  have  passed  to-day,  are  pro- 
duced by  an  assemblage  of  islands  and  rocky  ledges, 
which  obstruct  the  river,  and  divide  it  into  many  nar- 
row channels.  Two  of  these  channels  are  rendered 
still  more  difficult  by  accumulations  of  drift  timber  ; 
a  circumstance  which  has  given  a  name  to  one  of  the 
portages.  The  rocks  which  form  the  bed  of  the  river, 
and  the  numerous  islands,  belong  to  the  granite 
formation.  The  distance  made  to-day  was  thirteen 
miles.^  ^  ^  ^ 

July  21. — We  embarked  at  four  A.M.,  and  pursued 
our  course  down  the  river.  The  rocks  cease  at  the 
last  portage  ;  and  below  it  the  banks  are  composed  of 
alluvial  soil,  which  is  held  together  by  the  roots  of 
the  trees  and  shrubs  that  crown  their  summits.  The 
river  is  about  a  mile  wide,  and  the  current  is  greatly 
diminished.     At  eight  we  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the 


100 


Thh .  I   Years 


Salt  Kiver,  and  pitched  our  tents,  intending  to  remain 
here  this  and  the  next  day  for  the  purpose  of  fishing. 
After  breakfast,  which  made  another  inroad  on  our 
preserved  meats,  we  proceeded  up  the  river  in  a  light 
canoe,  to  visit  the  salt  springs,  leaving  a  party  behind 
to  attend  the  nets.     This  river  is  about  one  hundred 
yards  wide  at  its  mouth.      Its  waters  did  not  become 
brackish  until  we  had  ascended  it  seven   or  eight 
miles ;  but  when  we  had  passed  several  rivulets  of 
fresh  water  which  flowed  in,  the  main  stream  became 
very  salt,  at  the  same  time  contracting  to  the  width 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards.      At  a  distance  of  twenty- 
two  miles,  including  the  wiLdings  of  the  river,  the 
plains  commence.     Having  pitched  the  tent  at  this 
spot,  we  set  out  to  visit  the  principal  springs,  and 
walked  about  three  miles  when  the  musquitoes  com- 
pelled us  to  give  up  our  project.     We  did  not  see  the 
termination  of  the  plains  towards  the  east,  but  on  the 
north  and  west  they  are  bounded  by  an  even  ridge, 
about  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  in  height.     Several 
salt  springs  issue  from  the  foot  of  this  ridge,  and 
spread  their  waters  over  the  plain,  which  consists  of 
tenacious  clay.      During  the  summer  much  evapora- 
tion takes  place,  and  large  heaps  of  salt   are   left 
behind  crystalized  in  the  form  of  cubes.     Some  beds 
of  greyish  compact  gypsum  were  exposed  on  the  sides 
of  the  hills. 


^■*'- 


In  tilt  Arctic  Begiona. 


101 


The  next  morning  after  filling  some  casks  with  salt 
for  our  use  during  winter,  we  embarked  to  return,  and 
had  descended  the  rrver  a  few  miles,  when  turning 
round  a  point,  we  perceived  a  buffalo  plunge  into  the 
river  before  us.  Eager  to  secure  so  valuable  a  prize, 
we  instantly  opened  a  fire  upon  him  from  four  muskets, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  he  fell,  but  not  before  he  had 
received  fourteen  balls.  The  carcass  was  towed  to  the 
bank,  and  the  canoe  speedily  laden  with  meat.  After 
this  piece  of  good  fortune,  we  descended  the  stream 
merrily,  our  voyagers  chanting  their  liveliest  songs. 
On  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  we  found  that 
our  nets  had  not  produced  more  than  enough  to  sup- 
ply a  scanty  meal  to  the  men  whom  we  had  left 
behind,  but  this  was  now  of  little  importance  as  the 
acquisition  of  meat  we  had  made,  would  enable  us  to 
proceed  without  more  delay  to  Slave  Lake.  In  the 
evening,  a  violent  thunder-storm  came  on  with  heavy 
rain ;  thermometer  70°. 

At  a  very  early  hour  on  the  following  morning,  we 
embarked,  and  continued  to  paddle  against  a  very 
strong  wind  and  high  waves,  under  the  shelter  of  the 
bank  of  the  rivers,  until  two  P.  M.,  when  having 
arrived  at  a  more  exposed  part  of  the  stream,  the 
canoes  took  in  so  much  water  that  we  were  obliged  to 
disembark  on  a  small  island.  The  river  here  is  from 
one  mile  and  a  quarter  to  one  mile  and  three-quarters 


102 


Thirty  Years 


wide.      Its  banks  are  of  moderate  height,  sandy,  and 
well  wooded. 

July  24. — We  made  more  progress  notwithstanding 
the  continuance  of  the  wind.  The  course  of  the  river 
is  very  winding,  making  in  one  place  a  circuit  of  seven 
or  eight  miles  round  a  peninsula,  which  is  joined  to 
the  west  bank  by  a  narrow  isthmus.  Near  the  foot 
of  this  elbow,  a  long  island  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
river,  which  it  divides  into  two  channels. 

Soon  after  landing,  I  visited  the  Hudson's  Bay  post 
on  the  same  island,  and  engaged  Pierre  St.  German, 
an  interpreter  for  the  Copper  Indians.  We  regretted 
to  find  the  posts  of  both  the  Companies  extremely 
bare  of  provision  ;  but  as  the  gentleman  in  charge  had 
despatched  men  on  the  preceding  evening,  to  a  band 
of  Indians,  in  search  of  meat,  and  they  promised  to 
furnish  us  with  whatever  should  be  brought,  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  wait  for  their  return,  as  the  small- 
est supply  was  now  of  importance  to  us.  Advantage 
was  taken  of  the  delay  to  repair  effectually  the  canoe, 
which  had  been  broken  in  the  Dog  Eapid.  On  the  nex  t 
evening,  the  men  arrived  with  the  meat,  and  enabled 
Mr.  M'Cleod,  of  the  North- West  Company,  to  furnish 
us  with  four  hundred  pounds  of  dried  provisions.  Mr. 
M'Vicar,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  also  supplied 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  This  quantity  we  con- 
sidered would  be  sufficient,  until  we  could  join  the  hun- 


Tn  the  Arctic  Regions, 


103 


ters.  We  also  obtained  three  fishing  nets,  a  gun,  and 
a  pair  of  pistols,  which  were  all  the  stores  these  posts 
could  furnish,  although  the  gentlemen  in  charge  were 
much  disposed  to  assist  us. 

On  the  27th  of  July  we  embarked  at  foar  A.  M., 
and  proceeded  along  the  south  shore  of  the  lake, 
through  a  narrow  channel,  formed  by  some  islands, 
beyond  the  confluence  of  the  principal  branch  of  the 
Slave  River  ;  and  as  far  as  Stoney  Island,  where  we 
breakfasted.  This  island  is  merely  a  rock  of  gneiss, 
that  rises  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  lake,  and  is  pre- 
cipitous on  the  north  side.  As  the  day  was  fine,  and 
the  lake  smooth,  we  ventured  upon  paddling  across  to 
the  Reindeer  Islands,  which  were  distant  about  thir- 
teen miles  in  a  northern  direction,  instead  of  pursuing 
the  usual  track  by  keeping  further  along  the  south 
shore,  which  inclines  to  the  eastward  from  this  point. 
These  islands  are  numerous,  and  consist  of  granite, 
rising  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet  above  the 
water.  They  are  for  the  most  part  naked  ;  but  to- 
wards the  centres  of  the  larger  ones,  there  is  a  little 
soil,  and  a  few  groves  of  pines.  At  seven  in  the 
evening  we  landed  upon  one  of  them,  and  encamped. 
On  the  following  morning  we  ran  before  a  strong  breeze 
and  a  heavy  swell,  for  some  hours,  but  at  length  were 
obliged  to  seek  shelter  on  a  large  island  adjoining  to 
Isle  d  la  Cache  of  Mackenzie. 


104 


Tliirty  Years 


* 


A 


The  wind  and  swell  having  subsided  in  the  after- 
noon, we  re-embarked,  and  steered  towards  the  western 
point  of  the  Big  Island  of  Mackenzie,  and  when  four 
miles  distant  from  it,  had  forty- two  fathoms  soundings. 
Passing  between  this  island  and  a  promontory  of  the 
main  shore,  termed  Big  Cape,  we  entered  into  a  deep 
bay,  which  receives  the  waters  from  several  rivers  that 
come  from  the  northward  ;  and  we  immediately  per- 
ceived a  decrease  in  the  temperature  of  the  water, 
from  59^  to  48*^.  We  coasted  along  the  eastern  side 
of  the  day,  its  western  shore  being  always  visible,  but 
the  canoes  were  exposed  to  the  hazard  of  being  broken 
by  the  numerous  sudden  rocks,  which  were  scattered 
^  in  our  track.  We  encamped  for  the  night  on  a  rocky 
island,  and  by  eight  A.  M.  on  the  following  morning, 
arrived  at  jB'ort  Providence,  which  is  situated  twenty- 
one  miles  from  the  entrance  of  the  bay.  The  post  is 
exclusively  occupied  by  the  North- West  Company, 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  having  no  settlement  to 

the  northward  of  Great  Slave  Lake.     We  found  Mr. 

• 

Wentzel  and  our  interpreter  Jean  Baptiste  Adam 
here,  with  one  of  the  Indian  guides  :  but  the  chief  of 
the  tribe  and  his  hunters  were  encamped  with  their 
families,  some  miles  from  the  fort,  in  a  good  situation 
for  fishing.  Our  arrival  was  announced  to  him  by  a 
fire  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  before  night  a  messenger 
came  to  communicate  his  intention  of  seeing  us  next 


'^■' 


'^m- 


In  tho  Arctic  Regions. 


105 


morning.  The  customary  present,  of  tobacco  and 
some  other  articles,  was  immediately  sent  to  him. 

Mr.  Wentzel  prepared  me  for  the  first  conference 
with  the  Indians,  by  mentioning  all  the  information 
they  had  already  given  to  him.  The  duties  allotted 
to  this  gentleman  were,  the  management  of  the  In- 
dians, the  superintendence  of  the  Canadian  voyagers, 
the  obtaining,  and  the  general  distribution,  of  the 
provision,  and  the  issue  of  the  other  stores.  These 
services  he  was  well  qualified  to  perform,  having  been 
accustomed  to  execute  similar  duties,  during  a  resi- 
dence of  upwards  of  twenty  years  in  this  country.  We 
also  deemed  Mr.  Wentzel  to  be  a  great  acquisition  to 
our  party,  as  a  check  upon  the  interpreters,' he  being 
one  of  the  few  traders  who  speak  the  Chipewyan 
language. 

As  we  were  informed  that  external  appearances 
made  lasting  impressions  upon  the  Indians,  we  pre- 
pared for  the  interview  by  decorating  ourselves  in  uni- 
form, and  suspending  a  medal  round  each  of  our  necks. 
Our  tents  had  been  previously  pitched,  and  over  one 
of  them  a  silken  union  flag  was  hoisted.  Soon  after 
noon,  on  July  30th,  several  Indian  canoes  were  seen 
advancing  in  a  regular  line,  and  on  their  approach, 
the  chief  was  discovered  in  the  headmost,  which  was 
paddled  by  two  men.      On  landing  at  the  fort,  the 

chief  assumed  a  very  grave  aspect,  and  walked  up  to 

5» 


106 


Thirty  Years 


Mi.  Wontzcl  with  n  nioasurod  and  dignified  stop, 
loolcing  neither  to  tlio  right  nor  to  the  loft,  at  the  per- 
Bons  who  hud  iv88onibU>d  on  the  beach  to  witness  his 
debarkation,  but  preserving  the  same  immovability 
of  countonancG  until  ho  reached  the  hall,  and  was  in- 
troduced to  the  ofllcers.  When  ho  had  smoked  his 
pipe,  drank  a  small  portion  of  spirits  and  water  him- 
Belf,  and  issued  a  glass  to  each  of  liis  companions,  who 
had  seated  themselves  on  the  floor,  ho  commenced  his 
harangue,  by  mentioning  the  circumstances  that  led 
to  his  agreeing  to  accompany  the  expedition,  an  en- 
gagement which  ho  was  quite  prepared  to  fulfil.  Ha 
was  rejoiced,  ho  said,  to  see  such  great  chiefs  on  his 
'lands,  his  tribe  were  poor,  but  they  loved  white  men 
who  had  been  their  benefactors  ;  and  ho  hoped  that 
our  visit  would  be  productive  of  much  good  to  them. 
The  rt^port  which  preceded  our  arrival,  ho  said,  had 
caused  much  grief  to  him.  It  was  at  first  rumored 
that  a  great  medicine  chief  accompanied  us,  who  was 
able  to  restore  the  dead  to  life ;  at  this  he  rejoiced, 
the  prospect  of  again  seeing  his  departed  relatives  had 
enlivened  his  spirits,  but  his  first  communication  with 
Mr.  Wentzel  had  removed  these  vain  hopes,  and  ho 
felt  as  if  his  friends  had  a  second  time  been  torn  from 
him.  He  now  wished  to  be  informed  exactly  of  the 
nature  of  our  expedition. 
In  reply  to  this  si)eech,  which  I  understood  had 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


107 


boon  prepared  for  many  days,  I  endeavored  to  explain 
the  objects  of  our  niisHion  in  a  manner  best  calculated 
to  ensure  his  exertions  in  our  service.    With  this  view, 
I  told  him  that  wo  were  sent  out  by  the  greatest  chief 
in  the  world,  who  was  the  sovereign  also  of  the  trad- 
ing compiinies  in  the  gauntry  ;  that  he  was  the  friend 
of  poac<?,  and  had  the  interest  of  every  nation  at  heart. 
Having  learned  that  his  children  in  the  north,  were 
much  in  want  of  articles  of  merchandize,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  extreme  length  and  difficulty  of  tho 
present  route  ;  he  had  sent  us  to  search  for  a  passage 
by  the  sea,  which,  if  found,  would  enable  large  vessels 
to  transport  great  quantities  of  goods  more  easily  to 
their  lands.     That  we  had  not  come  for  the  purpose  of 
traffic,  but  solely  to  make  discoveries  for  their  benefit, 
as  well  as  that  of  every  other  people.     That  we  had 
been  directed  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of  all  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  countries  we  might  pass  through,  and 
particularly  respecting  their  inhabitants.      That  wo 
desired  the  assistance  of  tho  Indians  in  guiding  us, 
and  providing  us   with  food  j  finally,  that  we  were 
most  positively  enjoined  by  the  great  chief  to  recom- 
mend that  hostilities  should  cease  throughout  this 
country  ;  and  especially  between  the  Indians  and  Es- 
quimaux, whom  he  considered  his  children,  in  com- 
mon with   other  natives ;  and   by  way  of  enforcing 
the  latter  point  more  strongly,  I  assured  him  that  a 


108 


Tliirty  Years 


forfeiture  of  all  the  advantages  which  might  be  anti- 
cipated from  the  expedition  would  be  a  certain  conse- 
quence, if  any  quarrel  arose  between  his  party  and  the 
Esouimaux.  I  also  communicated  to  him  that  owinjc 
to  the  distance  we  had  traveled,  we  had  now  few  more 
stores  than  were  necessary  for  the  use  of  our  own 
party,  a  part  of  these,  however,  should  be  forthwith 
presented  to  him ;  on  his  return,  he  and  his  party 
should  be  remunerated  with  cloth,  ammunition,  to- 
bacco, and  some  useful  iron  materials,  besides  having 
their  debts  to  the  North- West  Company  discharged. 

The  chief,  whose  name  is  Akaitcho  or  Big-foot, 
replied  by  a  renewal  of  his  assurances,  that  he  and  his 
'  party  would  attend  us  to  the  end  of  our  journey,  and 
that  they  would  do  their  utmost  to  provide  us  with 
the  means  of  subsistence.  He  admitted  that  his  tribe 
made  war  upon  the  Esquimaux,  but  said  they  were 
now  desirous  of  peace,  and  unanimous  in  their  opinion 
as  to  the  necessity  of  all  who  accompanied  us  abstain- 
ing from  every \ict  of  enmity  against  that  nation. 
He  added,  however,  that  the  Esquimaux  were  very 
treacherous,  and  therefore  recommended  that  we  should 
advance  towards  them  with  caution. 

The  communication  which  the  chief  and  the  guides 
then  gave  respecting  the  route  to  the  Copper-Mine 
River,  and  its  course  to  the  sea,  coiiyided  in  every 
liiaterial  point  with  the  statements  which  were  made 


mmm 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


109 


■'^•- 


by  Boileau  and  Black-meat  at  Chipewyan,  but  they 
differed  in  the  descriptions  of  the  coast.  The  infor- 
mation, however,  collected  from  both  sources  was  very 
vague  and  unsatisfactory.  None  of  his  tribe  had  been 
more  than  three  days'  march  along  the  sea-coast  to 
the  eastward  of  the  river's  mouth. 

As  the  water  was  unusually  high  this  season,  the 
Indian  guides  recommended  our  going  by  a  shorter 
route  to  the  Copper-Mine  River  than  that  they  had 
first  proposed  to  Mr.  Wentzel,  and  they  assigned  as  a 
reason  for  the  change,  that  the  rein-drer  would  be 
sooner  found  upon  this  tract.  They  then  drew  a  chart 
'  of  the  proposed  route  on  the  floor  with  charcoal,  ex- 
hibiting a  chain  of  twenty-five  small  lakes  extending 
towards  the  north,  about  one-half  of  them  connected 
by  a  river  which  flows  into  Slave  Lake,  near  Fort 
Providence.  One  of  the  guides,  named  Keskarrah, 
drew  the  Copper-Mine  River,  running  through  the 
Upper  Lake  in  a  westerly  direction  towards  the  Great 
Bear  Lake,  and  then  northerly  to  the  sea.  The  other 
guide  drew  the  river  in  a  straight  line  to  the  sea  from 
the  above  mentioned  place,  but  after  some  dispute, 
admitted  the  correctness  of  the  first  delineation.  The 
latter  was  elder  brother  to  Akaitcho,  and  he  said  that 
he  had  accompanied  Mr.  Hearne  on  his  journey,  and 
though  very  young  at  the  time,  still  remembered 
laany  of  the  circumstances,  and  particularly  the  mas- 


(-■. 


110 


Thirty  Years 


sacre  committed  by  the  Indians  on  the  Esquimaux. 
They  pointed  out  another  lake  to  the  southward  of 
the  river,  about  three  days'  journey  distant  from  it, 
on  which  the  chief  proposed  the  next  winter's  estab- 
lishment should  be  formed,  as  the  rein-deer  would  pass 
there  in  the  autumn  and  spring.  Its  waters  con- 
tained fish,  and  there  was  a  sufficiency  of  wood  for 
building  as .  well  as  for  the  winter's  consumption. 
These  were  important  considerations,  and  detemiined  „ 
me  in  pursuing  the  route  they  now  proposed.  They  . 
could  not  inform  us  what  time  we  should  take  in 
reaching  the  lake,  until  they  saw  our  manner  ot 
traveling  in  the  large  canoes,  but  they  supposed  we 
might  be  about  twenty  days,  in  which  case  I  enter- 
tained the  hope  that  if  we  could  then  procure  pro- 
vision we  should  have  time  to  descend  the  Copper- 
Mine  Biver  for  a  considerable^  distance,  if  not  to  the 
sea  itself,  and  return  to  the  lake  before  the  winter 
set  in. 

It  may  here  be  proper  to  mention  that  it  had  been 
my  original  plan  to  descend  the  Mackenzie's  Eiver, 
and  to  cross  the  Great  Bear  Lake,  from  the  eastern 
side  of  which,  Boileau  informed  me,  there  is  a  com- 
munication with  the  Copper-Mine  Biver  by  four  small 
lakes  and  portages  ;  but,  under  our  present  circum- 
stances, this  course  could  not  be  follo)^ed,  because  it 
would  remove  us  too  far  from  the  establishments,  at 


■PH 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


Ill 


: 


the  Great  Slave  Lake,  to  receive  the  supplies  of 
ammunition  and  some  other  stores  in  the  winter  which 
were  absolutely  necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  our 
journey,  or  to  get  the  Esquimaux  interpreter,  whom 
we  expected.  If  I  had  not  deemed  these  circumstances* 
paramount  I  should  have  preferred  the  route  by  Bear 
Lake. 

Akaitcho  and  the  guides  having  communicated  all 
the  information  they  possessed  on  the  different  points 
to  which  our  questions  had  been  directed,  I  placed  my 
medal  round  the  neck  of  the  chief,  and  the  officers 
presented  theirs  to  an  elder  brother  of  his  and  the  two 
guides,  communicating  to  them  that  these  marks  of 
distinction  were  given  as  tokens  of  our  friendship  and 
as  pledges  of  the  sincerity  of  our  professions.  Being 
conferred  in  the  presence  of  all  the  hunters,  their  ao* 
quisition  was  highly  gratifying  to  them,  but  they  stu- 
diously avoided  any  great  expression  of  joy,  because 
such  an  exposure  would  have  been  unbecoming  the 
dignity  which  the  senior  ludians  assume  during  a  con- 
ference. They  assured  us,  however,  of  their  being 
duly  sensible  of  these  tokens  of  our  regard,  and  that 
they  should  be  preserved  during  their  lives  with  the 
utmost  care.  The  chief  evinced  much  penetration  and 
intelligence  during  the  whole  of  this  conversation, 
^  which  gave  us  a  favorable  opinion  of  his  intellectual 
powers.    He  made  many  inquiries  respecting    the 


112 


Thirty  Years 


Discovery  ships,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Parry, 
which  had  been  mentioned  to  him,  and  asked  why  a 
passage  had  not  been  discovered  long  ago,  if  one  exist- 
ed. It  may  be  stated  that  we  gave  a  faithful  explana- 
tion to  all  his  inquiries,  which  policy  would  have 
prompted  us  to  do  if  a  love  of  truth  had  not ;  for 
whenever  these  northern  nations  detect  a  falsehood  in 
the  dealings  of  the  traders,  they  make  it  an  unceasing 
subject  of  reproach,  and  their  confidence  is  irrecovera- 
bly lost. 

We  presented  to  the  chief,  the  two  guides,  and  the 
seven  hunters,  who  had  engaged  to  accompany  us, 
some  cloth,  blankets,  tobacco,  knives,  daggers,  besides 
other  useful  iron  materials,  and  a  gun  to  each  ;  also  a 
keg  of  very  weak  spirits  and  water,  which  they  kept 
until  the  evening,  as  they  had  to  try  their  guns  before 
dark,  and  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  com- 
mencing the  journey  on  the  following  day.  The  In- 
dians, however,  did  not  leave  us  on  the  next  day,  as 
the  chief  was  desirous  of  being  present,  with  his  party, 
at  the  dance,  which  was  given  in  the  evening  to  our 
Canadian  voyagers.  They  were  highly  entertained  by 
the  vivacity  and  agility  displayed  by  our  companions 
in  their  singing  and  dancing  :  and  especially  by  their 
imitating  the  gestures  of  a  Canadian,  who  placed  him- 
self in  the  most  ludicrous  postures ;  and,  whenever 
this  was  done,  the  gravity  of  the  chief  gave  way  to 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona, 


113 


Lm- 

ver 

to 


violent  bursts  of  laughter.  In  return  for  the  gratifi- 
cation Akaitcho  had  enjoyed,  he  desired  his  young  men 
to  exhibit  the  Dog-Kib  Indian  dance  ;  and  immediate- 
ly they  ranged  themselves  in  a  circle,  and  keeping  their 
legs  widely  separated,  began  to  jump  simultaneously 
sideways  ;  their  bodies  were  bent,  their  hands  placed 
on  their  hips,  and  they  uttered  forcibly  the  interjec- 
tion tsa  at  each  jump.  Devoid  as  were  their  attitudes 
of  grace,  and  their  music  of  harmony,  we  were  much 
amused  by  the  novelty  of  the  exhibition. 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  an  untoward  accident  oc- 
curred, which  for  a  time  interrupted  our  amusements. 
The  tent  in  which  Dr.  Richardson  and  I  lodged  hav- 
ing caught  fire  from  some  embers  that  had  been  placed 
in  it  to  expel  the  musquitoes,  was  entirely  burnt. 
Hepburn,  who  was  sleeping  within  it,  close  to  some 
powder,  most  providentially  awoke  in  time  to  throw  it 
clear  of  the  flame,  and  rescue  the  baggage,  before  any 
material  injury  had  been  received.  We  dreaded  the 
consequences  of  this  disaster  upon  the  fickle  minds  of 
the  Indians,  and  wished  it  not  to  be  communicated  to 
them.  The  chief,  however,  was  soon  informed  of  it 
by  one  of  his  people,  and  expressed  his  desire  that  no 
future  misfortune  should  be  concealed  from  him.  We 
found  he  was  most  concerned  to  hear  that  the  flag  had 
been  burnt,  but  we  removed  his  anxiety  on  that  point 
by  the  assurance  that  it  could  easily  be  repaired.     We 


A 


114 


Tidrty  Years 


r  s 


were  advised  by  Mr.  Wentzel  to  recommence  the 
dancing  after  this  event,  lest  the  Indians  should  ima- 
gine, by  our  putting  a  stop  to  it,  that  we  considered 
the  circumstance  as  an  unfavorable  commencement  of 
our  undertaking.  We  were,  however,  deeply  impress- 
ed with  a  grateful  sense  of  the  Divine  Providence,  in 
averting  the  threatened  destruction  of  our  stores, 
which  would  have  been  fatal  to  every  prospect  of  pro- 
ceeding forward  this  season. 

August  1. — This  morning  the  Indians  set  out,  in- 
tending to  wait  for  us  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow- 
Knife  Kiver.  We  remained  behind  to  pack  our  stores, 
in  bales  of  eighty  pounds  each,  an  operation  which 
could  not  be  done  in  the  presence  of  these  Indians,  as 
they  are  in  the  habit  of  begging  for  every  thing  they 
see.  Our  stores  consisted  of  two  barrels  of  gunpow- 
der, one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  ball  and  small 
shot,  four  fowling  pieces,  a  few  old  trading  guns,  eight 
pistols,  twenty-four  Indian  daggers,  some  packages  of 
knives,  chisels,  axes,  nails,  and  fastenings  for  a  boat ; 
a  few  yards  of  cloth,  some  blankets,  needles,  looking- 
glasses,  and  beads ;  together  with  nine  fishing  nets, 
having  meshes  of  different  sizes.  Our  provision  was 
two  casks  of  flour,  two  hundred  dried  reindeer  tongues, 
some  dried  moose  meat,  portable  soup,  and  arrow-root, 
sufficient  in  the  whole  for  ten  days*  consumption,  be- 
sides two  cases  of  chocolate,  and  two  canisters  of  tea. 


W 

an<^ 
pel 
of 
ma 

3St^ 


'V-     -^i- 


I'fiiiiiKii  im  ifi 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona, 


115 


We  engaged  another  Canadian  voyager  at  this  place, 
and  the  expedition  then  consisted  of  twenty-eight 
persons,  including  the  officers,  and  the  wives  of  three 
of  the  voyagers,  who  were  brought  for  the  purpose  of 
making  shoes  and  clothes  for  the  men  at  the  winter 
3stablishment ;  thero  were  also  three  children,  belong- 
ing to  two  of  these  women.* 

*  The  following  is  the  list  of  the  officers  and  men  who  composed  the 
sxpedition  on  its  departure  from  Fort  Providence : 

John  Franklin,  Lieutenant  of  the  Royal  Navy  and  Commander. 
John  Richardson,  M.  D.,  Surgeon  of  the  Royal  Navy. 
Mr.  George  Back,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  Admiralty  Midshipman. 
Mr.  Robert  Hood,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  Admiralty  Midshipman. 
Mr.  Frederic  Wentzel,  Clerk  to  the  North- West  Company. 
John  Hepburn,  English  seaman. 

Canadian  Yotaoers. 


John  Peltier, 

Mathew  Pelonquin,  dit  Credit, 

Solomon  Belanger, 

Joseph  Bennoit, 

Joseph  Qagne, 

Pierre  Dumas, 

Joseph  Forcier, 

Ignace  Perrault, 

Francais  Samandre. 


Gabriel  Beauparlaut, 

Vincenza  Fontano, 

Registe  Vaillant, 

Jean  Baptiste  Parent, 

Jean  Baptiste  Belanger, 

Jean  Baptiste  Belleau, 

Emanuel  Coumoyee, 

Michel  Teroahaute  an  Troqaois, 


Pierre  St.  German, 
Jean  Baptiste  Adam. 


Interfretehs. 

Cbipewyan  Bois  Brules, 


116 


Thirty  Years 


Our  observations  place  Fort  Providence  in  latitude 
62°  17'  19"  N.,  longitude  114°  9'  28"  W. ;  the  vari- 
ation of  the  compass  is  33°  35'  55'^  E.,  and  the  dip 
of  the  needle  86°  38'  02".     It  is  distant  from  Moose- 
Deer  Island  sixty-six  geographic  miles.      This  is  the 
last  establishment  of  the  traders  in  this  direction^  but 
the  North- West  Company  have  two  to  the  northward 
of  it,  on  the  Mackenzie  River.     It  has  been  erected 
for  the  convenience  of  the  Copper  and  Dog-rib  Indians, 
who  generally  bring  such  a  quantity  of  reindeer  meat 
that  the  residents  are  enabled,  out  of  their  superabun- 
dance, to  send  annually  some  provision  to  the  fort  at 
Moose-Deer  Island.     They  also  occasionally  procure 
moose  and  buffalo  meat,  but  these  animals  are  not  nu- 
merous on^his  side  of  the  lake.     Few  furs  are  collect- 
ed.    Les  poissons  inconnuSj  trout,  pike,   carp,   and 
white  fish,  are  very  plentiful,  and  on  these  the  resi- 
dents principally  subsist.     Their  great  supply  of  fish 
is  procured  in  the  latter  part  of  September  and  the 
beginning  of  October,  but  there  are  a  few  taken  daily 
in  the  nets  during  the  winter.     The  surrounding  coun- 
try consists  almost  entirely  of  coarse  grained  granite, 
freq^uently  enclosing  large  masses  of  reddish  felspar. 
These  rocks  form  hills  which  attain  an  elevation  of 
three  hundred  or  four  hundred  feet,  about  a  mile  be- 
hind the  house  ;  their  surface  is  generally  naked,  but 
in  the  valleys  between  them  a  few  spruces,  aspens,  and 


}■ 


■ 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


117 


birches  grow,  together  with  a  variety  of  shrubs  and 
berry-bearing  plants. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  2d  of  August  we  commen- 
ced our  journey,  having,  in  addition  to  our  three  canoes, 
a  smaller  one  to  convey  the  women  ;  we  were  all  in 
high  spirits,  being  heartily  glad  that  the  time  had  at 
length  arrived  when  our  course  was  to  be  directed  to- 
wards the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  through  a  line  of 
country  which  had  not  been  previously  visited  by  any 
European.  We  proceeded  to  the  northward,  along  the 
eastern  side  of  a  deep  bay  of  the  lake,  passing  through 
various  channels,  formed  by  an  assemblage  of  rocky 
islands ;  and,  at  sunset,  encamped  on  a  projecting 
point  of  the  north  main  shore,  eight  miles  from  Fort 
Providence.  To  the  westward  of  this  arm,  or  bay,  of 
the  lake,  there  is  another  deep  bay,  that  receives  the 
waters  of  a  river,  which  communicates  with  great  Mar- 
ten Lake,  where  the  North- West  Company  had  once 
a  post  established. 

Aug.  3. — We  embarked  at  three  A.  M.  and  proceed- 
ed to  the  entrance  of  the  Yellow-Knife  River  of  the 
traders,  which  is  called  by  the  Natives  Beg-ho-lo-des- 
sy  ;  or.  River  of  the  Toothless  Fish.  We  found  Akait- 
cho,  and  the  hunters  with  their  families,  encamped 
here.  There  were  also  several  other  Indians  of  his 
tribe,  who  intended  to  accompany  us  some  distance 
into  the  interior.    This  party  was  q^uickly  in  motion 


i 


118 


Thirty  Years 


after  our  arrival,  and  we  were  soon  surrounded  by  a 
fleet  of  seventeen  Indian  canoes.  In  company  with 
them  we  paddled  up  the  river,  which  is  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  wide,  and,  in  an  hour,  came  to  a  cas- 
cade of  five  feet,  where  we  were  compelled  to  make  a 
portage  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  yards.  We 
next  crossed  a  dilatation  of  the  river,  about  six  miles 
in  length,  upon  which  the  name  of  Lake  Prosperous 
was  bestowed.  Its  shores,  though  scantily  supplied 
with  wood,  are  very  picturesque. 

Akaitcho  caused  himself  to  be  paddled  by  his  slave, 
a  young  man,  of  the  Dog-rib  nation,  whom  he  had 
taken  by  force  from  his  friends ;  when  he  thought  him- 
self, however,  out  of  reach  of  our  observation,  he  laid 
aside  a  good  deal  of  his  state,  and  assisted  in  the  la- 
bor ;  and  after  a  few  days'  farther  acquaintance  with 
us,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  paddle  in  our  presence,  or 
even  carry  his  canoe  on  the  portages.  Several  of  the 
canoes  were  managed  by  women,  who  proved  to  be 
noisy  companions,  for  they  quarrelled  frequently,  and 
the  weakest  was  generally  profuse  in  her  lamentations, 
which  were  not  at  all  diminished,  when  the  husband 
attemped  to  settle  the  difference  by  a  few  blows  with 
his  paddle. 

Leaving  the  lake,  we  ascended  a  very  strong  rapid, 
and  arrived  at  a  range  of  three  steep  cascades,  situa- 
ted in  the  bend  of  the  river.     Here  we  made  a  portage 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


119 


of  one  thousand  three  hundred  yards  over  a  rocky  hill, 
which  received  the  name  of  the  Bowstring  Portage, 
from  its  shape.    We  found  that  the  Indians  had  great- 
ly the  advantage  of  us  in  this  operation  ;  the  men 
carried  their  small  canoes,  the  women  and  children 
the  clothes  and  provisions,  and  at  the  end  t)f  the  por- 
tage they  were  ready  to  emhark  ;  whilst  it  was  neces- 
sary for  our  people  to  return  four  times,  before  they 
could  transport  the  weighty  cargo  with  which  we  were 
burthened.     After  passing  through  another  expansion 
of  the  river,  and  over  the  steep  portage  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  yards,  we  encamped  on  a  small  rocky 
isle,  just  large  enough  to  hold  our  party,  and  the  In- 
dians took  possession  of  an  adjoining  rock.     We  were 
now  distant  thirty  miles  from  Fort  Providence. 

As  soon  as  the  tents  were  pitched,  the  officers  and 
men  were  divided  into  watches  for  the  night ;  a  pre- 
caution intended  to  be  taken  throughout  the  journey, 
not  merely  to  prevent  our  being  surprised  by  strangers, 
but  also  to  show  our  companions  that  we  were  con- 
stantly on  our  guard.  The  chief,  who  suffered  noth- 
ing to  escape  his  observation,  remarked,  "  that  he 
should  sleep  without  anxiety  among  the  Esquimaux, 
for  he  perceived  no  enemy  could  surprise  us." 

After  supper  we  retired  to  rest,  but  our  sleep  was 
soon  interrupted  by  the  Indians  joining  in  loud  lamen- 
tations over  a  sick  child,  whom  they  supposed  to  be 


•i  i 


..a 

■  \ 


120 


Thirty  Years 


dying.  Dr.  Richardson,  however,  immediately  went 
to  the  boy,  and  administered  some  medicine  which  re- 
lieved his  pain,  and  put  a  stop  to  their  mourning. 
The  temjieratures,  this  day,  were  at  4  A.M.  54°,  three 
P.M.  72°  at  seven  P.M.  Q6^, 

On  the  4th  we  crossed  a  small  lake,  and  passed  over 
in  succession  the  Blue  Berry  Cascade,  and  Double 
Fall  Portages,  where  the  river  falls  over  ridges  of  rocks 
that  completely  obstruct  the  passage  for  canoes.  We 
came  to  three  strong  rapids  beyond  these  barriers, 
which  were  surmounted  by  the  aid  of  the  poles  and 
lines,  and  then  to  a  bend  of  the  river  in  which  the  cas- 
cades were  so  frequent,  that  to  avoid  them  we  carried 
the  canoes  into  a  chain  of  small  lakes.  We  entered 
them  by  a  portage  of  nine  hundred  and  fifty  paces, 
and  during  the  afternoon  traversed  three  other  grassy 
lakes,  and  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  at  the 
end  of  the  Yellow-Knife  Portage,  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  paces.  This  day's  work  was  very  laborious 
to  our  men.  Akaitcho,  however,  had  directed  his 
party  to  assist  them  in  carrying  their  burdens  on  the 
portage3,  which  they  did  cheerfully.  This  morning 
Mr.  Back  caught  several  fish  with  a  fly,  a  method  of 
fishing  entirely  new  to  the  Indians ;  and  they  were 
not  more  delighted  than  astonished  at  his  skill  and 
success.  The  extremes  of  temperature  to-day  were 
54°  and  Q^"", 


I 


1 


m 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


121 


On  August  5th,  we  continued  the  ascent  of  the  riv- 
er which  varied  much  in  breadth  as  did  the  current  in 
rapidity.  It  flows  between  high  rocky  banks  on  which 
there  is  sufficient  soil  to  support  pines,  birch,  and  pop- 
lars. Five  portages  were  crossed,  then  the  Rocky 
Lake,  and  we  finished  our  labors  at  the  end  of  the 
sixth  portage.  The  issue  of  dried  meat  for  breakfast 
this  morning  had  exhausted  all  our  stock  ;  and  no 
other  provision  remained  but  the  portable  soups,  and 
a  few  pounds  of  preserved  meat.  At  the  recommen- 
dation of  Akaitcho,  the  hunters  were  furnished  with 
ammunition,  and  desired  to  go  forward  as  speedily  as 
possible,  to  the  part  where  the  reindeer  were  expect- 
to  be  found  ;  and  to  return  to  us  with  any  provision 
they  could  procure.  He  also  assured  us  that  in  our 
advance  towards  them  we  should  come  to  lakes  abound- 
ing in  fish.  Many  of  the  Indians,  being  also  in  dis- 
tress for  food,  decided  on  separating  from  us,  and 
going  on  at  a  quicker  pace  than  we  could  travel. 

Akaitcho  himself  was  always  furnished  with  a  por- 
tion at  our  meals,  as  a  token  of  regard  which  the  trad- 
ers have  taught  the  chiefs  to  expect,  and  which  we 
willingly  paid. 

The  next  morning  we  crossed  a  small  lake  and  a 
portage,  before  we  entered  the  river  ;  shortly  after- 
wards, the  canoes  and  cargoes  were  carried  a  mile  alonsr 

its  banks  to  avoid  three  very  strong  rapids,  and  over 

6 


122 


Thirty  Years 


another  portage  into  a  narrow  lake  ;  we  encamped  on 
an  island  in  the  middle  of  it,  to  set  the  nets  ;  but 
they  only  yielded  a  few  fish,  and  we  had  a  very  scanty 
supper  ;  as  it  was  necessary  to  deal  out  our  provision 
sparingly.  ^ 

We  had  the  mortification  of  finding  the  nets  en- 
tirely empty  next  morning,  an  untoward  circumstance 
that  discouraged  our  voyagers  very  much  ;  and  they 
complained  of  being  unable  to  support  the  fatigue  to 
which  they  were  daily  exposed,  on  their  present  scanty 
fare.  We  had  seen  with  regret  that  the  portages  were 
more  frequent  as  we  advanced  to  the  northward,  and 
feared  that  their  strength  would  fail,  if  provision  were 
not  soon  obtained.  We  embarked  at  six,  proceeded 
'  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  crossed  a  portage  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  paces,  leading  over  ridges  of 
sand-hills,  which  nourished  pines  of  a  larger  size  than 
we  had  lately  seen.  This  conducted  us  to  Mossy 
Lake,  from  whence  we  regained  the  river,  after  travers- 
ing another  portage.  The  Birch  and  Poplar  Porta- 
ges next  followed,  and  beyond  these  we  came  to  a  part 
where  the  river  takes  a  great  circuit,  and  its  course  is 
interrupted  by  several  heavy  falls.  The  guide,  there- 
fore, advised  us  to  quit  it,  and  proceed  through  a 
chain  of  nine  lakes  extending  to  the  north-east,  which 
we  did,  and  encamped  on  Icy  Portage,  where  the  nets 
were  set.     The  bottom  of  the  valley,  through  which 


' 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


123 


the  track  across  this  portage  led,  was  covered  with  ice 
four  or  five  feet  thick,  the  remains  of  a  large  iceberg, 
which  is  annually  formed  there,  by  the  snow  drifting 
into  the  valley,  and  becoming  consolidated  into  ice  by 
the  overflowing  of  some  springs  that  are  warm  enough 
to  resist  the  winter's  cold. 

We  were  alarmed  in  the  night  by  our  fire  commu- 
nicating to  the  dry  moss,  which  spreading  by  the  force 
of  a  strong  windj  encircled  the  encampment  and 
threatened  destruction  to  our  canoes  and  baggi-.ge. 
The  watch  immediately  aroused  all  the  men,  who 
~quickly  removed  whatever  could  be  injured  to  a  dis- 
tant part,  and  afterward  succeeded  in  extinguishing 
the  flame. 

Aug,  8. — During  this  day  we  crossed  five  portages, 
passing  over  a  very  bad  road.  The  men  were  quite 
exhausted  with  fatigue  by  five  P.M.,  when  we  were 
obliged  to  encamp  on  the  borders  of  the  fifth  lake,  in 
which  the  fishing-nets  were  set.  We  began  this  eve- 
ning to  issue  some  portable  soup  and  arrow-root, 
which  our  companions  relished  very  much ;  but  this 
food  is  too  unsubstantial  to  support  their  vigor  under 
their  daily  exhausting  labor,  and  we  could  not  fur- 
nish them  with  a  sufficient  quantity  even  of  this  to 
satisfy  their  desires.  We  commenced  our  labors  on 
the  next  day  in  a  very  wet,  uncomfortable  state,  as  it 
had  rained  through  the  night  until  4  A.M.     The  fifth 


•Z^^:  ;^ 


'l}-^' 


124 


Tliirty  Years 


grassy  lake  was  crossed,  and  four  others,  with  their  in- 
tervening portages,  and  we  returned  to  the  river  by  a 
portage  of  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifteen 
paces.  The  width  of  the  stream  here  is  about  one 
hundred  yards,  its  banks  are  moderately  high,  and 
scantily  covered  with  wood.  We  afterwards  twice 
carried  the  cargoes  along  its  banks  to  avoid  a  very 
stony  rapid,  and  then  crossed  the  first  Carp  portage, 
and  encamped  on  the  borders  of  Lower  Carp  Lake. 

The  chief  having  told  us  that  this  was  a  good  lake 
for  fishing,  we  determined  on  halting  for  a  day  or  two 
to  recruit  our  men,  of  whom  three  were  lame,  and  sev- 
eral others  had  swelled  legs.  The  chief  himself  went 
forward  to  look  after  the  hunters,  and  he  promised  to 
make  a  fire  as  a  signal  if  they  had  killed  any  reindeer. 
All  the  Indians  had  left  us  in  the  course  of  yesterday 
and  to-day  to  seek  these  animals,  except  the  guide 
Keskarrah. 

Aug.  10. — The  nets  furnishing  only  four  carp,  we 
embarked  for  the  purpose  of  searching  for  a  better  spot, 
and  encamped  again  on  the  shores  of  the  same  lake. 
The  spirits  of  the  men  were  much  revived  by  seeing 
some  recent  traces  of  reindeer  at  this  place,  which 
circumstance  caused  them  to  cherish  the  hope  of  soon 
getting  a  supply  of  meat  from  the  hunters.  They 
were  also  gratified  by  finding  abundance  of  blue  ber- 
ries near  to  the  encampment,  which  made  an  agreeable 


.   }\ 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


125 


and  substantial  addition  to  their  otherwise  scanty  fare. 
"We  were  teased  by  the  sand-flies  this  evening,  al- 
though the  thermometer  did  not  rise  above  45".  The 
country  through  which  we  have  traveled  for  some  days 
consists  principally  of  granite,  intermixed  in  some 
spots  with  mica  slate,  often  passing  into  clay-slate. 
But  the  borders  of  Lower  Carp  Lake,  where  the  gneiss 
formation  prevails,  are  composed  of  hills,  having  less 
altitude,  fewer  precipices,  and  more  rounded  summits. 
The  valleys  are  less  fertile,  containing  a  gravelly  soil 
and  fewer  trees  ;  so  that  the  country  has  throughout 
a  more  barren  aspect. 

Aug,  11. — Having  caught  sufficient  trout,  white 
fish,  and  carp,  yesterday  and  this  morning,  to  afford 
the  party  two  hearty  meals,  and  the  men  being  re- 
covered of  their  fatigue,  we  proceeded  on  our  journey, 

^  crossed  the  Upper  Carp  Portage,  and  embarked  on 
the  lake  of  that  name,  where  we  had  the  gratification 

'\  of  paddling  for  ten  miles.  We  put  up  at  its  termina- 
tion to  fish,  by  the  advice  of  our  guide.  At  this  place 
we  first  perceived  the  north  end  of  our  dipping-needle 
to  pass  the  perpendicular  line  when  the  instrument 
was  faced  to  the  west. 

We  had  scarcely  quitted  the  encampment  next  day 
before  an  Indian  met  us,  with  the  agreeable  commu- 
nication, that  the  hunters  had  made  several  fires, 
which  were  certain  indications  of  their  having  killed 


126 


Thirty  Years 


reindeer.  This  intelligence  inspired  our  companions 
with  fresh  energy,  and  they  quickly  traversed  the  next 
portage,  and  paddled  through  the  Reindeer  Lake  ; 
at  the  north  side  of  it  we  found  the  canoes  of  our 
hunters,  and  learned  from  our  guide  that  the  Indians 
usually  leave  their  canoes  here,  as  the  water  commu- 
nication on  their  hunting  grounds  is  bad.  The  Yel- 
low-Knife River  has  now  dwindled  into  an  insignificant 
rivulet,  and  we  could  not  trace  it  beyond  the  next 
lake,  except  as  a  mere  brook.  The  latitude  of  its 
source  64°  1'  30"  N.,  longitude  113°  36'  W.,  and  its 
length  is  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  statute  miles. 
Though  this  river  is  of  sufficient  breadth  and  depth 
for  navigating  in  canoes,  yet  I  conceive  its  course  is 
too  much  interrupted  by  cascades  and  rapids  for  its 
ever  being  used  as  a  channel  for  the  conveyance  ot 
merchandize.  Whilst  the  crews  were  employed  in 
making  a  portage  over  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  we 
ascended  to  the  top  of  it,  and  as  it  is  the  highest 
ground  in  the  neighborhood,  its  summii,,  which  is 
about  five  hundred  feet  above  the  water,  commands 
an  extensive  view. 

Akaitcho,  who  was  here  with  his  family,  pointed 
out  to  us  the  smoke  of  the  distant  fires  which  the 
hunters  had  made.  The  prospect  from  the  hill  is 
agreeably  diversified  by  an  intermixture  of  hill  and 
valley,  and  the  appearance  of  twelve  lakes  in  different 


II^. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


127 


directions.  On  the  borders  of  these  lakes  a  few  thin 
pine  groves  occur,  but  the  country  in  genetal  is  desti- 
tute of  almost  every  vegetable,  except  a  few  berry- 
bearing  shrubs  and  lichens,  and  has  a  very  barren 
aspect.  The  hills  are  composed  of  gneiss,  but  their 
acclivities  are  covered  with  a  coarse  gravelly  soil. 
There  are  many  loose  stones  both  on  their  summits 
and  acclivities,  composed  of  the  same  materials  as 
solid  rock. 

We  crossed  another  lake  in  the  evening,  encamped, 
and  set  the  nets.  The  chief  made  a  large  fire  to 
announce  our  situation  to  the  hunters. 

August  13. — We  caught  twenty  fish  this  morning, 
but  they  were  small,  and  furnished  but  a  scanty  break- 
fast for  the  part3%  Whilst  this  meal  was  preparing, 
our  Canadian  voyagers,  who  had  been  for  some  days 
past  murmuring  at  their  meagre  diet,  and  striving  to 
get  the  whole  of  our  little  provision  to  consume  at 
once,  broke  out  into  open  discontent,  and  several  of 
them  threatened  they  would  not  proceed  forward  unless 
more  food  was  given  to  them.  This  conduct  was  the 
more  unpardonable,  as  they  saw  we  were  rapidly  ap- 
proaching the  fires  of  the  hunters,  and  that  pro- 
vision might  soon  be  expected.  I  therefore  felt  the 
duty  incumbent  on  me,  to  address  them  in  the 
strongest  manner  on  the  danger  of  insubordination, 
and  to  assure  them  of  my  determination  to  inflict  the 


,A^^-^:^-^^,^^-.: 


128 


Thirty  Years 


heaviest  punishment  on  any  that  should  persist  in 
their  refusal  to  go  on,  or  in  any  other  way  attempt  to 
retard  the  Expedition.  I  considered  this  decisive 
step  necessary,  having  learned  from  the  gentlemen 
most  intimately  acquainted  with  the  character  of  the 
Canadian  voyagers,  that  they  invariably  try  how  far 
they  can  impose  upon  every  new  master  with  whom 
they  may  serve,  and  that  they  will  continue  to  be 
disobedient  and  intractable  if  they  once  gain  any 
ascendency  over  him.  I  must  admit,  however,  that 
the  present  hardships  of  our  companions  were  of  a  kind 
which  few  could  support  without  murmuring,  and  no 
one  could  witness  without  feeling  a  sincere  pity  for 
their  sufferings. 

After  this  discussion  we  went  forward  until  sunset. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  we  crossed  seven  lakes  and 
as  many  portages.  Just  as  we  had  encamped,  we 
were  delighted  to  see  four  of  the  hunters  arrive,  with 
the  flesh  of  two  reindeer.  This  seasonable  supply, 
though  only  sufficient  for  this  evening's  and  the  next 
day's  consumption,  instantly  revived  the  spirits  of  our 
companions,  and  they  immediatelgr  forgot  all  their 
cares.  As  we  did  not,  after  this  period,  experience 
any  deficiency  of  food  during  this  journey,  they  worked 
extremely  well,  and  never- again  reflected  upon  us  as 
they  had  done  before,  for  rashly  bringing  them  into  an 
inhospitable  country,  where  the  means  of  subsistence 
could  not  be  procured.  * 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


129 


Several  blue  fish,  resembling  the  grayling,  were 
caught  in  a  stream  which  flows  out  of  Hunter's  Lake. 
It  is  remarkable  for  the  largeness  of  its  dorsal  fins, 
and  the  beauty  of  its  colors. 

August  14. — Having  crossed  the  Hunter's  Portage, 
we  entered  the  lake  of  the  same  name,  but  soon  quitted 
it  by  desire  of  the  Indian  guide,  and  diverged  more  to 
the  eastward,  that  we  might  get  into  the  line  upon 
which  our  hunters  had  gone.  This  was  the  only  con- 
sideration that  could  have  induced  us  to  remove  to  a 
chain  of  small  lakes,  connected  by  long  portages.  We 
crossed  three  of  these,  and  then  were  obliged  to  en- 
camp to  rest  the  men. 

After  starting  we  first  crossed  the  Orknev  Lake, 
then  a  portage  which  brought  us  to  Sandy  Lake,  and 
here  we  missed  one  of  our  barrels  of  powder,  which 
the  steersman  of  the  canoe  then  recollected  had  been 
left  yesterday.  He  and  two  other  men  were  sent  back 
to  search  for  it,  in  the  small  canoe.  The  rest  of  the 
party  proceeded  to  the  portage  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Grizzle- Bear  Lake,  where  the  hunters  had  made 
a  deposit  of  meat,*  and  there  encamped  to  await 
their  return,  which  happened  at  nine  P.  M.  with  the 
powder. 

On  August  the  17th,  having  finished  drying  the 
meat,  which  had  been  retarded  by  the  heavy  showers 
of  rain  that  fell  in  the  morning,  we  embarked  at  one 


6» 


130 


Thirty  Years 


P.  M.  and  crossed  two  lakes  and  two  portages.  The 
last  of  these  was  two  thousand  and  sixty-six  paces 
long,  and  very  rugged,  so  that  the  men  were  much 
fatigued.  On  the  next  day  we  received  the  flesh  of 
four  reindeer  by  the  small  canoe  which  had  been  sent 
for  it  yesterday,  and  heard  that  the  hunters  had  kill- 
ed several  more  deer  on  our  route.  We  saw  many  of 
those  animals  as  we  passed  along  to-day  ;  and  our 
companions,  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  having 
food  in  abundance,  now  began  to  accompany  their  pad- 
dling with  singing,  which  they  had  discontinued  ever 
since  our  provisions  became  scarce. 

Aug.  19. — After  crossing  a  portage  of  five  hundred 
and  ninety-five  paces,  a  small  lake  and  another  portage 
of  two  thousand  paces,  which  occupied  the  crews  seven 
*' hours,  we  embarked  on  a  small  stream,  running  to- 
wards the  north-west,  which  carried  us  to  the  lake, 
where  Akaitcho  proposed  that  we  should  pass  the  win- 
ter. The  officers  ascended  several  of  the  loftiest  hills 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  prompted  by  a  natural 
anxiety  to  examine  the  spot  which  was  to  be  their 
residence  for  many  months.  The  prospect,  however, 
was  not  then  the  most  agreeable,  as  the  borders  of 
the  lake  seemed  to  be  scantily  furnished  with  wood, 
and  that  of  a  kind  too  small  for  the  purposes  of 
luilding. 

We  perceived  the  smoke  of  a  distant  fire  which  the 


% 


)i 


In  the  Arctic  Regions . 


131 


Indians  supposed  had  been  made  by  some  of  the  Dog- 
ribbed  tribe,  who  occasionally  visit  this  part  of  the 
country. 

Embarking  at  seven  next  morning,  we  paddled  to 
the  western  extremity  of  the  lake,  and  there  found  a 
small  river,  which  flows  out  of  it  to  the  8.W.  To 
avoid  a  strong  rapid  at  its  commencement,  we  made  a 
portage,  and  then  crossed  to  the  north  bank  of  the 
river,  where  the  Indians  recommended  that  the  winter 
establishment  should  be  erected,  and  we  soon  found 
that  the  situation  they  had  chosen  possessed  all  the 
advantages  we  could  have  desired.  The  trees  were 
numerous,  and  of  a  far  greater  size  than  we  had  sup- 
posed them  to  be  yesterday — some  of  the  pines  being 
thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  and  two  feet  in  diameter  at 
the  root.  We  determined  on  placing  the  house  on  the 
summit  of  the  bank,  which  commands  a  beautiful 
prospect  of  the  surrounding  country.  The  view  in 
the  front  is  bounded  at  the  distance  of  three  miles,  by 
round-backed  hills  ;  to  the  eastward  and  westward  lie 
the  Winter  and  round- rock  Lakes,  which  are  connect- 
ed by  the  Winter  River,  whose  banks  are  well  clothed 
with  pines,  and  ornamented  with  a  profusion  of  mos- 
ses, lichens,  and  shrubs. 

In  the  afternoon  we  read  divine  service,  and  offered 
our  thanksgiving  to  the  Almighty  for  his  goodness  in 
having  brought  us  thus  far  on  our  journey  ;   a  duty 


m 


132 


Thirty  Years 


which  we  never  neglected,  when  stationary  on  the  sab- 
bath. 

The  united  length  of  the  portages  we  have  crossed, 
since  leaving  Fort  Providence,  is  twenty-one  statute 
miles 'and  a  half ;  and  as  our  men  had  to  traverse 
each  portage  four  times,  with  a  load  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds,  and  return  three  times  light,  they 
walked  in  the  whok  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  The  total  length  of  our  voyage  from  Chipew- 
yan  is  five  hundred  and  fifty  three-miles.* 

A  fire  was  made  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  to 
inform  the  chief  of  our  arrival,  which  spreading  before 
a  strong  wind,  caught  the  whole  wood,  and  we  were 
completely  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  smoke  for  the  three 
following  days. 

On  the  next  morning  our  voyagers  were  divided  into 
two  parties,  the  one  to  cut  the  wood  for  the  building 
of  a  store  house,  and  the  other,  to  fetch  the  meat  as 
fast  as  the  hunters  procured  it.  An  interpreter  was 
sent  with  Keskarrah,  the  guide,  to  search  for  the  In- 
dians who  had  made  the  fire  seen  on  Saturday,  from 
whom  we  might  obtain  some  supplies  of  provision. 

statute  Milos. 

'*  Stony  and  Slave  Rivers 260 

Slave  Lake 107 

Yellow-Knife  River 156.5 

i)arren  country  between  the  source  of  the  Yellow- 
Knife  Birer  and  Fort  Enterprize        -       •>       -      29.6 

668 


# 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


133 


An  Indian  was  also  despatched  to  Akaitcho,  with  di- 
rections for  him  to  come  hither  directly,  and  bring 
whatever  provision  he  had,  as  we  were  desirous  of  pro- 
ceeding, without  delay,  to  .the  Copper-^ine  River. 
In  the  evening  our  men  brought  in  the  carcasses  of 
seven  reindeer,  which  two  hunters  had  shot  yester- 
day, and  the  women  commenced  drying  the  meat  for 
our  journey.  We  also  obtained  a  good  supply  of  fish 
from  our  nets  to-day. 

A  heavy  rain,  on  the  23d,  prevented  the  men  from 
working,  either  at  the  building,  or  going  for  meat ; 
but  on  the  next  day  the  weather  was  fine,  and  they 
renewed  their  labors.  The  thermometer,  that  day, 
did  not  rise  higher  than  42^,  and  it  fell  to  31^  before 
midnight.  On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  we  were  sur- 
prised by  some  early  symptoms  of  the  approach  of 
winter  ;  the  small  pools  were  frozen  over,  and  a  flock 
of  geese  passed  to  the  southward.  In  the  afternoon, 
however,  a  fog  came  on,  which  afterwards  changed  into 
rain,  and  the  ice  quickly  disappeared.  We  suffered 
great  anxiety  all  the  next  day  respecting  John  Hep- 
burn, who  had  gone  to  hunt  before  sunrise  on  the  25  th, 
and  been  absent  ever  since.  About  four  hours  after 
his  departure  the  wind  changed,  and  a  dense  fog  ob- 
scured every  mark  by  hich  his  course  to  the  tents 
could  be  directed,  and  we  thought  it  probable  he  had 
been  wandering  in  an  opposite  direction  to  our  situa- 


• 


134 


Thirty  Years 


tion,  as  the  two  hunters,  who  had  been  sent  out  to 
look  for  him,  returned  at  sunset  without  having  seen 
him.  Akaitcho  arrived  with  his  party,  and  we  were 
greatly  disam^ointed  at  finding  they  had  stored  up 
only  fifteen  reindeer  for  us.  St.  Germain  informed  us, 
that  having  heard  of  the  death  of  the  chiefs  brother- 
in-law,  they  had  spent  several  days  in  bewailing  his 
loss,  instead  of  hunting.  We  learned  also,  that  the 
decease  of  this  man  had  caused  another  party  of  the 
tribe,  who  had  been  sent  by  Mr,  Wentzel  to  prepare 
provision  for  us  on  the  banks  of  the  Copper-Mine 
River,  to  remove  to  the  shores  of  the  Great  Bear  Lake, 
distant  from  our  proposed  route.  Mortifying  as  these 
circumstances  were,  they  produced  less  painful  sensa- 
tions than  we  experienced  in  the  evening,  by  the  re- 
fusal of  Akaitcho  to  accompany  us  in  the  proposed  de- 
scent of  the  Copper  Mine  River.  When  Mr.  Wentzel, 
by  my  direction,  communicated  to  him  my  intention 
of  proceeding  at  once  on  that  service,  he  desired  a  con- 
ference with  me  upon  the  subject,  which  being  imme- 
diately granted,  he  began  by  stating,  that  the  very 
attempt  would  be  rash  and  dangerous,  as  the  weather 
was  cold,  the  leaves  were  falling,  some  geese  had 
passed  to  the  southward,  and  the  winter  would  shortly 
set  in  ;  and  that,  as  he  considered  the  lives  of  all  who 
went  on  such  a  journey  would  be  forfeited,  he  neither 
would  go  himself,  nor  permit  his  hunters  to  accompany 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


135 


A 


US.  He  said  there  was  no  wood  within  eleven  days' 
march,  during  which  time  we  could  not  have  any  fire, 
as  the  moss,  which  the  Indians  use  in  their  summer 
excursions,  would  be  too  wet  for  burning,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  recent  rains ;  that  we  should  be  forty 
days  in  descending  the  Copper-Mine  Biver,  six  of 
which  would  be  expended  in  getting  to  its  banks,  and 
that  we  might  be  blocked  up  by  the  ice  in  the  next 
moon  ;  and  during  the  whole  journey  the  party  must 
experience  great  suffering  for  want  of  food,  as  the 
reindeer  had  already  left  the  river. 

He  was  now  reminded  that  these  statements  were 
very  different  from  the  account  he  had  given,  both  at 
Port  Providence  and  on  the  route  hither  ;  and  that 
up  to  this  moment,  we  had  been  encouraged  by  his 
conversation  to  expect  that  the  party  might  descend 
the  Copper-Mine  River,  accompanied  by  the  Indians. 
He  replied,  that  at  the  former  place  he  had  been  un- 
acquainted with  our  slow  mode  of  traveling,  and  that 
the  alteration,  in  his  opinion,  arose  from  the  advance 
of  winter. 

We  now  informed  him,  that  we  were  provided 
with  instruments  by  which  we  could  ascertain  the 
state  of  the  air  and  water,  and  that  we  did  not  ima- 
gine the  winter  to  be  so  near  as  he  supposed ;  how- 
ever, we  promised  to  return  on  discovering  the  first 
change  in  the  season.     He  was  aiso  told  that  all  the 


136 


ThiHy  Years 


\ 


baggage  being  left  behind,  our  canoes  would  now,  of 
course,  travel  infinitely  more  expeditiously  than  any 
thing  he  had  hitherto  witnessed.  Akaitcho  appeared 
to  feel  hurt,  that  we  should  continue  to  press  the 
matter  further,  and  answered  with  some  warmth  : 
*'  Well,  I  have  said  everything  I  can  urge,  to  dissuade 
you  from  going  on  this  service,  on  which  it  seems,  you 
wish  to  sacrifice  your  own  lives,  as  well  as  the  Indians 
who  might  attend  you  :  however,  if  after  all  I  have 
said,  you  are  determined  to  go,  some  of  my  young  men 
shall  join  the  party,  because  it  shall  not  be  said,  that 
we  permitted  you  to  die  alone  after  having  brought 
you  hither  ;  but  from  the  moment  they  embark  in  the 
canoes,  I  and  my  relatives  shall  lament  them  as  dead." 

We  could  only  reply  to  this   forcible  appeal,  by; 
assuring  him  and  the  Indians  who  were  seated  around  » 
him,  that  we  felt  the  most  anxious  solicitude  for  the 
safety  of  every  individual,  and  that  it  was  far  from 
our  intention  to  proceed  without  considering  every 
argument  for  and  against  the  proposed  journey. 

We  next  informed  him,  that  it  would  be  very  de- 
sirable to  see  the  river  at  any  rate,  that  we  might 
give  some  positive  information  about  its  situation  and 
size,  in  our  next  letters  to  the  great  chief ;  and  that 
we  were  very  anxious  to  get  on  its  banks  for  the  pur- 
pose of  observing  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which  we 
described  to  him^  and  said  would  happen  in  a  few 


*«»»~-L. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


137 


days.  He  received  this  communication  with  more 
temper  than  the  preceding,  though  he  immediately- 
assigned  as  a  reason  for  his  declining  to  go,  that  "  the 
Indians  must  now  procure  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
deer-skins  for  winter  clothing  for  themselves,  and 
dresses  for  the  Canadians,  who  would  need  them  if 
they  had  to  travel  in  the  winter."  Finding  him  so 
averse  to  proceed,  and  feeling,  at  the  same  time,  how 
essential  his  continuance  with  us  was,  not  only  to  our 
future  success,  but  even  to  our  existence  during  the 
winter ;  I  closed  the  conversation  here,  intending  to 
propose  to  him  next  morning  some  modification  of  the 
plan,  which  might  meet  his  approbation.  Soon  after 
we  were  gone,  however,  he  informed  Mr.  Wentzel, 
with  whom  he  was  in  the  habit  of  speaking  confi-^ 
dentially,  that  as  his  advice  was  neglected,  his  presence 
was  useless,  and  he  should,  therefore,  return  to  Fort 
Providence  with  his  hunters,  after  he  had  collected 
some  winter  provision  for  us.  Mr.  Wentzel  having 
reported  this  to  me,  the  night  was  passed  in  great 
anxiety,  and  after  weighing  all  the  arguments  that 
presented  themselves  to  my  mind,  I  came  reluctantly 
to  the  determination  of  relinquishing  the  intention  of 
going  any  distance  down  the  river  this  season. 

The  month  of  September  commenced  with  very 
disagreeable  weather.  The  temperature  of  the  atmos- 
phere ranged  between  39°  and  31°  during  the  first 


138 


Thirty  Years 


three  days,  and  that  of  the  water  in  the  river  de- 
creased from  49°  to  44^*. 

In  the  afternoon  of  September  the  6  th,  we  removed 
our  tent  to  the  summit  of  a  hill,  about  three  miles 
distant,  for  the  better  observing  the  eclipse,  which 
was  calculated  to  occur  on  the  next  morning.  We 
were  prevented,  however,  from  witnessing  it  by  a 
heavy  snow-storm,  and  the  only  observation  we  could 
then  make  was  to  examine  whether  the  temperature 
of  the  atmosphere  altered  during  the  eclipse,  but  we 
found  that  both  the  mercurial  and  spirit  thermometers 
remained  steadily  at  30"  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
previous  to  its  commencement,  during  its  continuance, 
and  for  half  an  hour  subsequent  to  its  termination  ; 
we  remarked  the  wind  increased  very  much,  and  the 
snow  fell  in  heavier  flakes  just  after  the  estimated 
time  of  its  commencement.  This  boisterous  weather 
continued  until  three  P.M.,  when  the  wind  abated, 
and  the  snow  changed  to  rain. 

The  men  continued  to  work  diligently  at  the  house, 
and  by  the  30  th  of  September  had  nearly  completed 
it  for  our  reception,  when  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  washed 
the  greater  part  of  the  mud  off  the  roof.  This  rain 
was  remarked  by  the  Indians  as  unusual,  after  what 
they  had  deemed  so  decided  a  commencement  of  winter 
in  the  early  part  of  the  month.  The  mean  temper- 
ature for  the  month  was  33/4°,  but  the  thermometer  had 
sunk  as  low  as  16°,  and  on  one  occasion  risen  to  53°. 


»<n"i- 1  iiiiir  'itti'i . 


aiH^<ll>ll 


^e^ 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


139 


CHAPTER    VI. 


On  the  6th  of  October,  the  house  being  completed, 
we  struck  our  tents,  and  removed  into  it.  It  was 
merely  a  log  building,  fifty  feet  long,  and  twenty-four 
wide,  divided  into  a  hall,  three  bed-rooms,  and  a 
kitchen.  The  walls  and  roof  were  plastered  with 
clay,  the  floors  laid  with  planks  rudely  squared  with 
the  hatchet,  and  the  windows  closed  with  parchment 
of  deerskin.  The  clay,  which,  from  the  coldness  of 
the  weather,  required  to  be  tempered  before  the  fire 
with  hot  water,  froze  as  it  was  daubed  on,  and  after- 
wards cracked  in  such  a  manner  as  to  admit  the  wind 
from  every  quarter  ;  yet,  compared  with  the  tents, 
our  new  habitation  appeared  comfortable  ;  and  having 
filled  our  capacious  clay-built  chimney  with  fagots, 
we  spent  a  cheerful  evening  before  the  invigorating 
blaze.  The  change  was  peculiarly  beneficial  to  Dr. 
Richardson,  who  having,  in  one  of  his  excursions, 
incautiously  laid  down  on  the  frozen  side  of  a  hill 
when  heated  with  walking,  had  caught  a  severe  in- 


140 


1 


' 


Thirty  Years 


flammatory  sore  throat,  which  became  daily  worse 
whilst  we  remained  in  the  tents,  but  began  to  amend 
soon  after  he  was  enabled  to  confine  himself  to  the 
more  equable  warmth  of  the  house.  We  took  up  our 
abode  at  first  on  the  floor,  but  our  working  party,  who 
had  shewn  such  skill  as  house-carpenters,  soon  proved 
themselves  to  be,  with  the  same  tools,  the  hatchet 
and  crooked  knife,  excellent  cabinet-makers,  and 
daily  added  a  table,  a  chair,  or  bedstead,  to  the  com- 
forts of  our  establishment. 

On  the  1st  of  December  the  sky  was  clear,  a  slight 
appearance  of  stratus  only  being  visible  near  the  hori- 
zon ;  but  a  kind  of  snow  fell  at  intervals  in  the  fore- 
noon, its  particles  so  minute  as  to  be  observed  only  in 
the  sunshine.  Towards  noon  the  snow  became  more 
apparent,  and  the  two  limbs  of  a  prismatic  arch  were 
visible,  one  on  each  side  of  the  sun  near  its  place  in 
the  heavens,  the  centre  being  deficient.  We  have 
frequently  observed  this  descent  of  minute  icy  spiculaa 
when  the  s^y  appears  perfectly  clear,  and  could  even 
perceive  that  its  silent,  but  continued  action,  added 
to  the  snowy  covering  of  the  ground. 

Having  received  one  hundred  balls  from  Fort  Provi- 
dence by  Belanger,  we  distributed  them  among  the 
Indians,  informing  the  leader  at  the  same  time,  that 
the  residence  of  so  large  a  party  as  his  at  the  house, 
amounting,  with  women  and  children,  to  forty  souls, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


141 


was  producing  a  serious  reduction  in  our  stock  of 
provisions. 

As  it  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  how 
we  passed  our  time  at  this  season  of  the  year,  I  shall 
mention  briefly,  that  a  considerable  portion  of  it  was 
occupied  in  writing  up  our  journals.  Some  newspa- 
pers and  magazines,  that  we  had  received  from  Eng- 
land with  our  letters,  were  read  again  and  again,  and 
commented  upon,  at  our  meals  ;  and  we  often  exer- 
cised ourselves  with  conjecturing  the  changes  that 
might  take  place  in  the  world  before  we  could  hear 
from  it  again.  The  probability  of  our  receiving  let- 
ters, and  the  period  of  their  arrival,  were  calculated  to 
a  nicety.  We  occasionally  paid  the  woodmen  a  visit^^ 
or  took  a  walk  for  a  mile  or  two  on  the  river.  ^^ 

In  the  evenings  we  joined  the  men  in  the  hall,  and 
took  a  part  in  their  games,  which  generally  continued 
to  a  late  hour  ;  in  short,  we  never  found  the  time  to 
hang  heavy  upon  our  hands  ;  and  the  peculiar  occu- 
pations of  each  of  the  officers  afforded  them  more  em- 
ployment than  might  at  first  be  supposed.  I  re-cal- 
culated the  observations  made  on  our  route  ;  Mr. 
Hood  protracted  the  charts,  and  made  those  drawings 
of  birds,  plants,  and  fishes,  which  cannot  appear  in 
this  work,  but  which  have  been  the  admiration  of  every 
one  who  has  seen  them.  Each  of  the  party  sedulous- 
ly and  separately  recorded  their  observations  on  the 


I 
I 


142 


Tliirty  Years 


aurora,  and  Dr.  Richardson  contrived  to  obtain  from 
under  the  snow  specimens  of  most  of  the  lichens  in  tho 
neighborhood,  and  to  make  himself  acquainted  with 
the  mineralogy  of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  Sabbath  was  always  a  day  of  rest  with  us  ;  the 
woodmen  were  required  to  provide  for  the  exigencies 
of  that  day  on  Saturday,  and  the  party  were  dressed  in 
their  best  attire.  Divine  service  was  regularly  per- 
formed, and  the  Canadians  attended,  and  behaved 
with  great  decorum,  although  they  were  all  Roman 
Catholics,  and  but  little  acquainted  with  the  language 
in  which  the  prayers  were  read.  I  regretted  much  that 
we  had  not  a  French  prayer-book,  but  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  Creed  were  always  read  to  them  in  their 
own  language. 

Our  diet  consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  reindeer 
meat,  varied  twice  a  week  by  fish,  and  occasionally  by 
a  little  flour,  but  we  had  no  vegetables  of  any  descrip- 
tion. On  the  Sunday  mornings  we  drank  a  cup  ot 
chocolate,  but  our  greatest  luxury  was  tea  (without 
sugar),  of  which  we  regularly  partook  twice  a  day. 
With  reindeer's  fat,  and  strips  of  cotton  shirts,  we 
formed  candles  ;  and  Hepburn  acquired  considerable 
skill  in  the  manufacture  of  soap,  from  wood- ashes,  fat, 
and  salt.  The  formation  of  soap  was  considered  as 
rather  a  mysterious  operation  by  our  Canadians,  and, 
in  their  hands,  was  always  supposed  to  fail  if  a  woman 


In  the  Arctic  Rcgiona. 


143 


approached  the  kettle  in  which  the  ley  was  boiling. 
Such  are  our  simple  domestic  details. 

On  the  30th,  two  hunters  came  from  the  leader,  to 
convey  ammunition  to  him,  as  soon  as  our  men  should 
bring  it  from  Fort  Providence. 

The  men,  at  this  time,  coated  the  walls  of  the 
house  on  the  outside,  with  a  thin  mixture  of  clay  and 
water,  which  formed  a  crust  of  ice,  that,  for  some 
days,  proved  impervious  to  the  air  ;  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere,  however,  was  such,  that  the  ice  in  a  short 
time  evaporated,  and  gave  admission  to  the  wind  as 
before.  It  is  a  general  custom  at  the  forts  to  give 
this  sort  of  coating  to  the  walls  at  Christmas  time. 
When  it  was  gone  we  attempted  to  remedy  its  defect, 
by  heaping  up  snow  against  the  walls. 

jin^.^i.  "^^^8  morning  our  men  collected,  and  greeted  us 
with  the  customary  salutation  on  the  commencement 
of  the  New  Year.  That  they  might  enjoy  a  holiday, 
they  had  yesterday  collected  double  the  usual  quantity 
of  fire-wood,  and  we  anxiously  expected  the  arrival  of 
the  men  from  Fort  Providence,  with  some  additions  to 
their  comforts.  We  were  led  the  more  readily  to  hope 
for  their  arrival  before  the  evening,  as  we  knew  that 
every  voyager  uses  his  utmost  endeavor  to  reach  a  post 
upon,  or  previous  to,  the  jour  de  Van,  that  he  may 
partake  of  the  wonted  festivities.  It  forms  the  theme 
of  their  conversation  for  months  before  and  after  the 


^ 


s. 


144 


Thirty  Years 


period  of  its  arrival  On  the  present  occasion  we 
could  only  treat  them  with  a  little  flour  and  fat; 
these  were  both  considered  as  great  luxuries,  but  still 
the  feast  was  defective  from  the  want  of  rura,  although 
we  promised  them  a  little  when  it  should  arrive. 

The  early  part  of  January  proved  mild,  the  ther- 
mometer rose  to  20**  above  zero,  and  we  were  surpris- 
ed by  the  appearance  of  a  kind  of  damp  fog  approach- 
ing very  nearly  to  rain.  The  Indians  expressed  their 
astonishment  at  this  circumstance,  and  declared  the 
present  to  be  one  of  the  warmest  winters  they  had  ever 
experienced.  Some  of  them  reported  that  it  had  ac- 
tually rained  in  the  woody  parts  of  the  country.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  month,  however,  the  thermome- 
ter again  descended  to  —  49°,  and  the  mean  temper- 
ature for  the  month  proved  to  be  — 15.6°.  Owing  to 
the  fogs  that  obscured  the  sky,  the  aurora  was  visible 
only  upon  eighteen  nights  in  the  month. 

On  the  15th  seven  of  our  men  arrived  from  Fort 
Providence  with  two  kegs  of  rum,  one  barrel  of  pow- 
der, sixty  pounds  of  ball,  two  rolls  of  tobacco,  and 
8o:ne  clothing.  They  had  been  twenty-one  days  on 
their  march  from  Slave  Lake,  and  the  labor  they  un- 
derwent was  sufficiently  evinced  by  their  sledge-collars 
having  worn  out  the  shoulders  of  their  coats.  Their 
loads  weighed  from  sixty  to  ninety  pounds  each,  ex- 
clusive of  their  bedding  and  provisions,  which  at  start- 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


145 


ino-  must  have  been  at  least  as  much  more.     We  were 

o 

much  rejoiced  at  their  arrival,  and  proceeded  forthwith 
to  pierce  the  spirit  cask,  and  issue  to  each  of  the 
household  the  portion  of  rum  which  had  been  promis- 
ed to  them  on  the  first  day  of  the  year.  The  spirits, 
which  were  proof,  were  frozen,  but  after  standing  at 
the  fire  for  some  time,  they  flowed  out  of  the  consis- 
tency of  honey.  The  temperature  of  the  liquid,  even 
in  this  state,  was  so  low  as  instantly  to  convert  into 
ice  the  moisture  which  condensed  on  the  surface  of  the 
dram-glass.  The  fingers  also  adhered  to  the  glass, 
and  would,  doubtless,  have  been  speedily  frozen  had 
they  been  kept  in  contact  with  it,  yet  each  of  the 
voyagers  swallowed  his  dram  without  experiencing  the 
slightest  inconvenience,  or  complaining  even  of  the 
tooth-ach. 

The  temperature  in  February  was  considerably  low- 
er than  in  the  preceding  month,  although  not  so  low 
as  in  December,  the  mean  being  —  25.3^.  The  great- 
est temperature  was  1**  above  zero,  and  the  lowest  51^ 
below. 

On  the  5th  of  March  the  people  returned  from  Slave 
Lake,  bringing  the  remainder  of  our  stores,  consisting 
of  a  cask  of  flour,  thirty-six  pounds  of  sugar,  a  roll  of 
tobacco,  and  forty  pounds  of  tobacco.  I  received  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Weeks,  wherein  he  denied  that  he  had 

ever  circulated  any  reports  to  our  disadvantage  ;  and 

7 


/ 


/ 


146 


Tliirty  Years 


stated  that  he  had  done  every  thing  in  his  power  to 
assist  us,  and  even  discouraged  Akaitcho  from  leaving 
us,  when  he  had  sent  him  a  message,  saying,  that  he 
wished  to  do  so,  if  he  was  sure  of  being  well  received 
at  Fort  Providence. 

On  the  29th  Akaitcho  arrived  at  the  house,  having 
been  sent  for  to  make  some  arrangements  respecting 
the  procuring  of  provision,  and  that  we  might  learn 
from  him  what  his  sentiments  were  with  regard  to  ac- 
companying us  on  our  future  journey.  Next  morning 
we  had  a  conference,  which  I  commenced  by  shewing 
him  the  charts  and  drawings  that  were  prepared  to  be 
sent  to  England,  and  explaining  fully  our  future  in- 
tentions. He  appeared  much  pleased  at  this  mark  of 
attention,  and,  when  his  curiosity  was  satisfied,  began 
his  speech  by  saying,  that  *'  although  a  vast  number 
of  idle  rumors  had  been  floating  about  the  barren 
grounds  during  the  winter,"  yet  he  was  convinced  that 
the  representations  that  had  been  made  to  him  at  Fort 
Providence  regarding  the  purport  of  the  Expedition 
were  perfectly  correct.  I  next  pointed  out  to  him  the 
necessity  of  our  proceeding  with  as  little  delay  as  pos- 
sible during  the  short  period  of  the  year  that  was  fit 
for  our  operations,  and  that  to  do  so  it  was  requisite 
we  should  have  a  large  supply  of  provisions  at  starting. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  Dr.  Richardson  returned  from 
his  excursion.     He  informed  me  that  the  reindeer  were 


In  the  Arctic  Itegions. 


147 


again  advancing  to  the  northward,  but  that  the  leader 
had  been  joined  by  several  families  of  old  people,  and 
that  the  daily  consumption  of*provision  at  the  Indian 
tents  was  consequently  great.  This  information  exci- 
ted some  painful  apprehensions  of  being  very  scantily 
provided  when  the  period  for  our  departure  should  arrive. 
The  weather  in  the  beginning  of  May  was  fine  and 
warm.  On  the  2d  some  patches  of  sandy  ground  near 
the  house  were  cleared  of  snow.  On  the  7th  the  sides 
of  the  hills  began  to  appear  bare,  and  on  the  8th  a 
large  house  fly  was  seen.  This  interesting  event 
spread  cheerfulness  through  our  residence  and  formed 
a  topic  of  conversation  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
'  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Back  having  visited  the 
country  to  the  northward  of  the  Slave  Rock,  and 
reported  that  they  thought  we  might  travel  over  it, 
I  signified  my  intention  of  sending  the  first  party  off 
on  Monday  the  4th  of  June.  I  was  anxious  to  get  the 
Indians  to  move  on  before,  but  they  lingered  about 
the  house,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  picking  up 
such  articles  as  we  might  deem  unnecessary  to  take. 
When  Akaitcho  was  made  acquainted  with  my  pur- 
pose of  sending  away  a  party  of  men,  he  came  to  in- 
form me  that  he  would  appoint  two  hunters  to  accom- 
pany them,  and  at  the  same  time  requested  that  Dr. 
Richardson,  or  as  he  called  him,  the  Medicine  Chiefj 
might  be  sent  with  his  own  band. 


T 
t 


148 


Thirty  Years 


■< ' 


Oa  the  7th  the  wind  changing  to  the  southward, 
dispersed  the  clouds  which  had  obscured  the  sky  for 
several  days,  and  produced  a  change  of  temperature 
under  which  the  snow  rapidly  disappeared.  The 
thermometer  rose  to  73°,  many  flies  came  forth,  mus- 
c^uitoes  shewed  themselves  for  the  first  time,  and  one 
swallow  made  its  appearance.  "We  were  the  more 
gratified  \nth.  these  indications  of  summer,  that  St. 
Germain  was  enabled  to  commence  upon  the  repair  of 
the  canoes,  and  before  night  had  completed  the  two 
which  had  received  the  least  injury.  Augustus  killed 
two  deer  to-day. 

On  the  10th  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle  being 
observed,  shewed  a  decrease  of  22'  44 ",  since  last 
autumn.  The  repairs  of  the  third  canoe  were  finished 
this  evening. 

The  snow  was  now  confined  to  the  bases  of  the  hills, 
and  our  Indian  hunter  told  us  the  season  was  early. 
The  operations  of  nature,  however,  seemed  to  us  very 
tardy.  We  were  eager  to  be  gone,  and  dreaded  the 
lapse  of  summer,  before  the  Indians  would  allow  it 
had  begun. 

On  the  11th  the  geese  and  ducks  had  left  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Enterprize,  and  proceeded  to  the 
northward.  Some  young  ravens  and  whiskey-johns 
made  their  appearance  at  this  time. 

On  the  12th,  Winter  River  was  nearly  cleared  of 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


149 


ice,  and  on  the  13th  the  men  returned,  having  left  Dr. 
Bichardson  on  the  borders  of  Point  Lake.  Dr.  Bich- 
ardson  informed  me  by  letter  that  the  snow  was  deeper 
in  many  parts  near  his  encampment  than  it  had  been 
at  any  time  last  winter  near  Fort  Enterprize,  and 
that  the  ice  on  Point  Lake  had  scarcely  begun  to 
decay.  Although  the  voyagers  were  much  fatigued 
on  their  arrival,  and  had  eaten  nothing  for  the  last 
twenty-four  hours,  they  were  very  cheerful,  and  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  start  with  the  remainder  of  the 
stores  next  morning. 


150 


Tldrty  Tears 


CHAPTER   VII. 


1821. 
June  14 


'¥. 


The  trains  for  the  canoes  having  been  fin- 
ished during  the  night,  the  party  attached  to  them 
commenced  their  journey  at  ten  this  mornigg.  Each 
canoe  was  dragged  by  four  men  assisted  by  two  dogs. 
They  took  the  route  of  Winter  Lake,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  following,  although  more  circuitous,  the  water- 
course as  far  as  practicable,  it  being  safer  for  the 
canoes  than  traveling  over  land.  After  their  de- 
parture, the  remaining  stores,  the  instruments,  and 
our  small  stock  of  dried  meat,  amounting  only  to 
eighty  pounds,  were  distributed  equally  among  Hep- 
burn, three  Canadians,  and  the  two  Esquimaux ;  with 
this  party  and  two  Indian  hunters,  we  quitted  Fort 
Enterprize,  most  sincerely  rejoicing  that  the  long- 
wished  for  day  had  arrived,  when  we  were  to  proceed 
towards  the  final  object  of  the  Expedition. 

We  left  in  one  of  the  rooms  a  box,  containing  a 
journal  of  the  'occurrences  up  to  this  date,  the  charts, 
and  some  drawings,  which  was  to  be  conveyed  to  Fort 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


151 


Chipewyan  by  Mr.  Wentzel,  on  his  return  from  the 
sea,  and  from  thence  to  be  sent  to  England.  The 
room  was  blocked  up,  and,  by  the  advice  of  Mr. 
Wentzel,  a  drawing  representing  a  man  holding  a 
daori^er  in  a  threatening:  attitude,  was  affixed  to  the 
door,  to  deter  any  Indians  from  breaking  it  open. 
We  directed  our  course  towards  the  Dog-rib  Rock, 
but  as  our  companions  were  loaded  with  the  weight  of 
near  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  weight  each,  we 
of  necessity  proceeded  at  a  slow  pace.  The  day  was 
extremely  warm,  and  the  musquitoes,  whose  attacks 
had  hitherto  been  feeble,  issued  forth  in  swarms  from 
the  marshes,  and  were  very  tormenting.  Having 
walked  five  miles  we  encamped  near  a  small  cluster  of 
pines  about  two  miles  from  the  Dog-rib  Rock.  The 
canoe  party  had  not  been  seen  since  they  set  out. 

« 

Our  hunters  went  forward  to  Marten  Lake,  intending 
to  wait  for  us  at  a  place  where  two  deer  were  de- 
posited. At  nine  P.  M.  the  temperature  of  the  air 
was  63^ 

We  resumed  our  march  at  an  early  hour,  and 
crossed  several  lakes  which  lay  in  our  course,  as  the 
ice  enabled  the  men  to  drag  their  burdens  on  trains 
formed  of  sticks  and  deers'  horns,  with  more  ease  than 
they  could  carry  them  on  their  backs.  We  were  kept 
constantly  wet  by  this  operation,  as  the  ice  had 
broken  near  the  shores  of  the  lak^S,  but  this  incon- 


152 


Thirty  Tears 


venience  was  not  regarded,  as  the  day  was  unusually 
warm ;  the  temperature  at  two  P.  M.  being  82K'*. 
At  Marten  Lake  we  joined  the  canoe  party,  and  en- 
camped with  them.  We  had  the  mortification  ©f 
learning  from  our  hunters  that  the  meat  they  had  put 
en  cache  here,  had  been  destroyed  by  the  wolverenes, 
and  we  had  in  consequence,  to  furnish  the  supper 
from  our  scanty  stock  of  dried  meat.  The  wind 
changed  from  S.E.  to  N.E.  in  the  evening,  and  the 
weather  became  very  cold,  the  thermometer  being  43** 
at  nine  P.M.  The  few  dwarf  birches  we  could  collect 
afforded  fire  insufficient  to  keep  us  warm,  and  we 
retired  under  the  covering  of  our  blankets  as  soon  as 
the  supper  was  despatched.  The  N.E.  breeze  ren- 
dered the  night  so  extremely  cold,  that  we  procured 
but  little  sleep,  having  neither  fire  nor  shelter,  for 
though  we  carried  our  tents,  we  had  been  forced  to 
leave  the  tent  poles  which  we  could  not  now  replace  ; 
we  therefore  gladly  recommenced  the  journey  at  five 
in  the  morning,  and  traveled  through  the  remaining 
part  of  the  lake  on  the  ice.  Its  surface  being  quite 
smooth,  the  canoes  were  dragged  along  expeditiously 
by  the  dogs,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  had  to  walk 
very  quick  to  keep  pace  with  them,  which  occasioned 
them  to  get  many  heavy  falls.  By  the  time  we  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  lake,  the  wind  had  increased  to 
a  perfect  gale',  aif&  the  atmosphere  was  so  cold  that 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


15d 


we  could  not  proceed  with  the  canoes  further  without 
the  risk  of  breaking  the  bark  and  seriously  injuring 
them,  we  therefore  crossed  Winter  River  in  them,  and 
put  up  on  a  ridge  of  sand  hills  in  a  well  sheltered 
place.  But  as  the  stock  of  provision  was  scanty,  we 
determined  on  proceeding  as  quick  as  possible,  and 
leaving  the  canoe  party  under  the  charge  of  Mr. 
Wentzel.  We  parted  from  them  in  the  afternoon, 
and  first  directed  our  course  towards  a  range  of  hills, 
where  we  expected  to  find  Antonio  Fontano,  who  had 
separated  from  us  in  the  morning.  In  crossing  to- 
wards those  hills  I  fell  through  the  ice  into  the  lake, 
with  my  bundle  on  my  shoulders,  but  was  soon  extri- 
cated without  receiving  any  injury ;  and  Mr.  Back, 
who  left  us  to  go  in  search  of  the  straggler,  met  with 
a  similar  accident  in  the  evening.  We  put  up  on  a 
ridge  of  sand  hills,  where  we  found  some  pines,  and 
made  a  large  fire  to  apprise  Mr.  Back  and  Fontano  of 
our  situation.  St.  Germain  having  killed  a  deer  in 
the  afternoon,  we  received  an  acceptable  supply  of 
meat.     The  night  was  stormy  and  very  cold. 

At  five  next  morning  our  men  were  sent  in  different 
directions  after  our  absent  companions,  but  as  the 
weather  was  foggy,  we  despaired  of  finding  them  unless 
they  should  chance  to  hear  the  muskets  our  people 
were  desired  to  fire  They  returned,  however,  at  ten, 
bringing  intelligence  of  them.     I  went  immediately 

7« 


154 


Thh'ty  Years 


with  Heburn  to  join  Mr.  Back,  and  directed  Mr.  Hood 
to  proceed  with  the  Canadians,  and  halt  with  them  at 
a  spot  where  the  hunters  had  killed  a  deer.  Though 
Mr.  Back  was  much  fatigued,  he  set  off  with  me  im- 
mediately, and  in  the  evening  we  rtvjoined  our  friends 
on  the  borders  of  the  Big  Lake.  The  Indians  inform- 
ed us  that  Fontano  only  remained  a  few  hours  with 
them,  and  then  continued  his  journey.  We  had  to 
oppose  a  violent  gale  and  frequent  snow  storms 
through  the  day,  which  unseasonable  weather  caused 
the  temperature  to  descend  below  the  freezing  point 
this  evening.  The  situation  of  our  encampment  being 
bleak,  and  our  fuel  stunted  green  willows,  we  passed 
a  very  cold  and  uncomfortable  night. 

June  18. — Though  the  breeze  was  moderate  this 
morning,  the  atmosphere  was  piercingly  keen.  When 
on  the  point  of  starting,  we  perceived  Mr.  Wentzel's 
party  coming,  and  awaited  his  arrival  to  learn  whether 
the  canoes  had  received  any  injury  during  the  severe 
weather  of  yesterday.  Finding  that  they  had  not,  we 
proceeded  to  get  upon  the  ice  on  the  lake,  which  could 
not  be  effected  without  walking  up  to  the  waist  in 
water,  for  some  distance  from  its  borders.  We  had 
not  the  command  of  our  feet  in  this  situation,  and  the 
men  fell  often  ;  poor  Junius  broke  through  the  ice 
with  his  heavy  burden  on  his  back,  but  fortunately 
was  not  hurt. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


155 


This  lake  is  extensive,  and  large  arms  branch  from 
its  main  course  in  different  directions.  At  these  parts 
we  crossed  the  projecting  points  of  land,  and  on  each 
occasion  had  to  wade  as  before,  which  so  wearied  every 
one,  that  we  rejoiced  when  we  reached  its  north  side 
and  encamped,  though  our  resting-place  was  a  bare 
rock.  We  had  the  happiness  of  finding  Fontano  at 
this  place.  The  poor  fellow  had  passed  the  three  pre- 
ceding days  without  tasting  food,  and  was  exhausted 
by  anxiety  and  hunger.  His  sufferings  were  consider- 
ed to  have  been  a  sufficient  punishment  for  his  impru- 
dent conduct  in  separating  from  us,  and  we  only  ad- 
monished him  to  be  more  cautious  in  future. 

Having  received  information  that  the  hunters  had 
killed  a  deer,  we  sent  three  men  to  fetch  the  meat, 
which  was  distributed  between  our  party,  and  the 
canoe  men  who  had  been  encamped  near  to  us.  The 
thermometer  at  three  P.M.  was  46^,  and  at  nine  34°. 

We  commenced  the  following  day  by  crossing  a 
lake  about  four  miles  in  length,  and  then  passed  over 
a  succession  of  rugged  hills  for  nearly  the  same  dis- 
tance. The  men  being  anxious  to  reach  some  pine 
trees,  which  they  had  seen  on  their  former  journey, 
walked  a  quick  pace.,  though  they  were  suffering  from 
swelled  legs  and  rheumatic  pains  ;  we  could  not,  how- 
ever, attain  the  desired  point,  and  therefore  encamped 
on  the  declivity  of  a  hill,  which  sheltered  us  from  the 


'  ij 


156 


Thirty  Years 


wind  ;  and  used  the  reindeer  moss  for  fuel,  which  af- 
forded us  more  warmth  'than  we  expected.  We  per- 
ceived several  patches  of  snow  yet  remaining  on  the 
surrounding  hills.  The  thermometer  varied  to-day 
between  5b^  and  45**. 

On  the  20th  of  June  we  began  our  march  by  cross- 
ing a  small  lake,  not  without  much  risk,  as  the  sur- 
face of  the  ico  was  covered  with  water  to  the  depth  of 
two  feet,  and  there  were  many  holes  into  which  we 
slipped,  in  spite  of  our  efforts  to  avoid  them.  A  few 
of  the  men  being  fearful  of  attempting  the  traverse 
with  their  heavy  loads,  walked  round  the  eastern  end 
of  the  lake.  The  parties  met  on  the  sandy  ridge, 
which  separates  the  streams  that  fall  into  Winter 
Lake  from  those  that  flow  to  the  northward  ;  and  here 
we  killed  three  deer.  Near  the  base  of  this  ridge  we 
crossed  a  small  but  rapid  stream,  in  which  there  is  a 
remarkable  cascade  of  about  fifty  feet  descent.  Some 
Indians  joined  us  here,  and  gave  us  information  re- 
specting the  situation  of  Dr.  Bichardson's  tent,  which 
our  hunters  considered  was  sufficient  for  our  guidance, 
and  therefore  proceeded  as  quickly  as  they  could. 
We  marched  a  few  miles  farther  in  the  evening,  and 
encamped  among  some  pines  ;  but  the  comfort  of  a  f 
good  fire  did  not  compensate  for  the  torment  we  suf- 
fered from  the  host  of  musquitoes  we  found  at  this  spot. 
The  temperature  was  52°, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


157 


We  set  off'  next  morning  at  a  very  early  hour.  The 
men  took  the  course  of  Point  Lake,  that  they  might 
use  their  sledges,  but  the  officers  pursued  the  nearest 
route  by  land  to  Dr.  Richardson's  tent,  which  wo 
reached  at  eleven  A.  M.  It  was  situated  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  an  arm  of  the  lake,  and  near  to  the  part 
through  which  the  Copper-Mine  River  runs.  Our  men 
arrived  soon  after  us,  and  in  the  evening  Mr.  Wentzel 
and  his  party,  with  the  canoes  in  excellent  condition. 
They  were  much  jaded  by  their  fatiguing  journey,  and 
several  were  lame  from  swellings  of  the  lower  extrem- 
ities. The  ice  on  the^lake  was  still  six  or  seven  feet 
thick,  and  there  was  no  appearance  of  its  decay  except 
near  the  edges  ;  and  as  it  was  evident  that,  by  remain- 
ing here  until  it  should  be  removed,  we  might  lose 
every  prospect  of  success  in  our  undertaking,  I  deter- 
mined on  dragging  our  stores  along  its  surface,  until 
we  should  come  to  a  part  of  the  river  where  we  could 
embark ;  and  directions  were  given  this  evening  for 
each  man  to  prepare  a  train  for  the  conveyance  of  his 
portion  of  the  stores.  I  may  remark  here,  as  a  proof 
of  the  strong  eflfect  of  radiation  from  the  earth  in 
melting  the  ice,  that  the  largest  holes  in  the  ice  were 
always  formed  at  the  base  of  the  high  and  steep  cliflfs, 
which  abound  on  the  borders  of  this  lake. 

We  found  Akaitcho  and  the  hunters  encamped  here, 
but  their  families,  and  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  had  gone 


158 


Thirty  Years 


off  two  days  before  to  the  Beth-see-to,  a  large  lake  to 
the  northward,  where  they  intended  passing  the  sum- 
mer.    Long-legs  and  Keskarrah  had  departed,  to  de- 
sire the  Hook  to  collect  as  much  meat  as  he  could 
against  our  arrival  at  his  lodge.     We  were  extremely 
distressed  to  learn  from  Dr.  Eichardson,  that  Akaitcho 
and  his  party  had  expended  all  the  ammunition  they 
had  received  at  Fort  Enterprize,  without  having  con- 
tributed any  supply  of  provision.     The  Doctor  had, 
however,  through  the  assistance  of  two  hunters  he 
kept  with  him,  prepared  two  hundred  pounds  of  dried 
meat,  which  was  now  our  sole  dependenfje  for  the 
journey.     On  the  following  morning  I  represented  to 
Akaitcho  that  we  had  been  greatly  disappointed  by 
his  conduct,  which  was  so  opposite  to  the  promise  of 
exertion  he  had  made,  on  quitting  Fort  Enterprize. 
He  offered  many  excuses,  but  finding  they  were  not 
satisfactory,  he  admitted  that  the  greater  part  of  the 
ammunition  had  been  given  to  those  who  accompanied 
the  women  to  the  Beth-see-to,  and  promised  to  behave 
better  in  future.     I  then  told  him,  that  I  intended  in 
future  to  give  them  ammunition  only  in  proportion  to 
the  meat  which  was  brought  in,  and  that  wc  should 
commence  upon  that  plan,  by  supplying  him  with 
fifteen  balls,  and  the  hunters  with  ten  each. 

The  number  of  our  hunters  was  now  reduced  to 
five,  as  two  of  the  most  active  declined  going  any  fur- 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


159 


ther,  their  father,  who  thought  himself  dying,  having 
solicited  them  to  remain  and  close  his  eyes.  These 
five  were  furnished  with  ammunition,  and  sent  for- 
ward to  hunt  on  the  south  border  of  the  lake,  with 
directions  to  place  any  meat  they  might  procure  near 
to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  set  up  marks  to  guide  us 
to  the  spots.  Akaitcho,  his  brother,  the  guide,  and 
three  other  men,  remained  to  accompany  us.  We 
were  much  surprised  to  perceive  an  extraordinary  dif- 
ference in  climate  in  so  short  an  advance  to  the  north- 
ward as  fifty  miles.  The  snow  here  was  lying  in  large 
patches  on  the  hills.  The  dwarf-birch  and  willows 
were  only  just  beginning  to  open  their  buds,  which 
had  burst  forth  at  Fort  Enterprize  many  days  previous 
to  our  departure.  Vegetation  seemed  to  be  three  weeks 
or  a  month  later  here  than  at  that  place.  We  had 
heavy  showers  of  rain  through  the  night  of  the  22d, 
which  melted  the  snow,  and  visibly  wasted  the  ice. 

On  the  23d,  the  men  were  busily  employed  in  mak- 
ing their  trains,  and  in  pounding  the  meat  for  pem- 
mican.  The  arrangements  being  completed,  we 
purposed  commencing  our  journey  next  morning,  but 
the  weather  was  too  stormy  to  admit  of  our  venturing 
upon  the  lake  with  the  canoes.  In  the  afternoon  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow  took  place,  which  was  succeeded  by 
sleet  and  rain.  The  north-east  gale  continued,  but 
the  thermometer  rose  to  39^. 


160 


Thirty  Years 


June  25. — The  wind  having  abated  during  the  night, 
we  prepared  for  starting  at  an  early  hour.  The  three 
canoes  were  mounted  on  sledges,  and  nine  men  were 
appointed  to  conduct  them,  having  the  aBsista,pce  of 
two  dogs  to  each  canoe.  The  stores  and  provisions 
were  distributed  equally  among  the  rest  of  our  men, 
except  a  few  small  articles  which  the  Indians  carried. 
The  provision  consisted  of  only  two  bags  of  pemmi- 
can,  two  of  pounded  meat,  five  of  suet,  and  two  small 
bundles  of  dried  provision,  together  with  fresh  meat 
sufficient  for  our  supper  at  night.  It  was  gratifying 
to  witness  the  readiness  with  which  the  men  prepared 
for  and  commenced  the  journey,  which  promised  to 
be  so  very  laborious,  as  each  of  them  had  to  drag 
upwards  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  on  his 
sledge. 

Our  course  led  down  the  main  channel  of  the  lake, 
which  varied  in  breadth  from  half  a  mile  to  three 
miles  ;  but  we  proceeded  at  a  slow  pace,  as  the  snow 
which  fell  last  night,  and  still  lay  on  the  lake,  very 
much  impeded  the  sledges.  Many  extensive  arms 
branched  off  on  the  north  side  of  this  channel,  and  it 
was  bounded  on  the  south  by  a  chain  of  lofty  islands. 
The  hills  on  both  sides  rose  to  the  height  of  six  hun- 
dred or  seven  hundred  feet,  and  high  steep  cliffs  are 
numerous.  Clusters  of  pines  were  occasionally  seen 
in  the  valleys.     We  put  up,  at  eight  P.M.,  in  a  spot 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


161 


which  afforded  us  but  a  few  twigs  for  fuel.  The  party- 
was  much  fatigued,  and  several  of  the  men  were  af- 
fected by  an  inflammation  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh, 
attended  with  hardness  and  swelling.  The  distance 
made  to-day  was  six  miles. 

We  started  at  ten  next  morning.  The  day  was  ex- 
tremely hot,  and  the  men  were  soon  jaded  ;  their  lame- 
ness increased  very  much,  and  some  not  previously  af- 
fected began  to  complain.  The  dogs  too  shewed 
symptoms  of  great  weakness,  and  one  of  them  stretch- 
ed himself  obstinately  on  the  ice,  and  was  obliged  to 
be  released  from  the  harness.  Under  these  circum- 
stances we  wero  compelled  to  encamp  at  an  early  hour, 
having  come  only  four  miles.  The  sufferings  of  the 
people  in  this  early  stage  of  our  journey  were  truly 
discouraging  to  them,  and  very  distressing  to  us,  whose 
situation  was  comparatively  easy.  I,  therefore,  deter- 
mined on  leaving  the  third  canoe,  which  had  been 
principally  carried  to  provide  against  any  accident 
happening  to  the  others.  By  this  we  gained  three 
men,  to  lighten  the  loads  of  those  who  were  most 
lame,  and  an  additional  dog  for  each  of  the  other  ca- 
noes. It  was  accordingly  properly  secured  on  a  stage 
erected  for  the  purpose  near  the  encampment.  Dried 
meat  was  issued  for  supper,  but  in  the  course  of  the 
evening  the  Indians  killed  two  deer,  which  were  imme- 
diately sent  for. 


162 


Thirty  Years 


The  channel  of  the  lake  through  which  we  had  pass- 
ed to-day  was  bounded  on  both  sides  by  islands  of 
considerable  height,  presenting  bold  and  rugged 
scenery.  We  were  informed  by  our  guide,  that  a  large 
body  of  the  lake  lies  to  the  northward  of  along  island 
which  we  passed. 

Another  deer  was  killed  next  morning,  but  as  the 
men  breakfasted  off  it  before  they  started,  the  addi- 
tional weight  was  not  materially  felt.  The  burthens 
of  the  men  being  considerably  lightened  by  the  ar- 
rangements of  last  evening,  the  party  walked  at  the 
rate  of  one  mile  and  three-quarters  an  hour  until  the 
afternoon,  when  our  pace  was  slackened,  as  the  sur- 
face of  the  ice  was  more  rough,  and  our  lame  com- 
panions felt  their  sores  very  galling.  At  noon  we 
passed  a  deep  bay  on  the  south  side,  which  is  said  to 
receive  a  river.  Throughout  the  day's  march  the 
hills  on  each  side  of  the  lake  bore  a  strong  resem- 
blance, in  height  and  form,  to  those  about  Fort  En- 
terprise. We  encamped  on  the  north  main  shore, 
among  some  spruce  trees,  having  walked  eight  miles 
and  a  half.  Three  or  four  fish  were  caught  with  lines 
through  holes,  which  the  water  had  worn  in  the  ice. 
We  perceived  a  slight  westerly  current  at  those  places. 

It  rained  heavily  during  the  night,  and  this  was 
succeeded  by  a  dense  fog  on  the  morning  of  the  28th. 
Being  short  of  provisions  we  commenced  our  journey, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


163 


though  the  points  of  land  were  not  discernible  beyond 
a  short  distance  The  surface  of  the  ice,  being  honey- 
combed by  the  recent  rains,  presented  innumerable 
sharp  points,  which  tore  our  shoes,  and  lacerated  the 
feet  at  every  step.  The  poor  dogs,  too,  marked  their 
path  with  their  blood. 

In  the  evening  the  atmosphere  became  clear,  and, 
at  five  P.M.,  we  reached  the  rapid  by  which  Point 
Lake  communicates  with  Bed- Bock  Lake.  This  rapid 
is  only  one  hundred  yards  wide,  and  wc  were  much 
disappointed  at  finding  the  Copper-Mine  River  such 
an  inconsiderable  stream.  The  canoes  descended  the 
rapid,  but  the  cargoes  were  carried  across  the  penin- 
sula, and  placed  again  on  the  sledges,  as  the  next  lake 
was  still  frozen.  We  passed  an  extensive  arm, 
branching  to  the  eastward,  and  encamped  just  below 
it,  on  the  western  bank,  among  spruce  pines,  having 
walked  six  miles  of  direct  distance.  The  rolled  stones 
on  the  beach  are  principally  red  clay  slate,  hence  its 
Indian  app'^llation,  which  we  have  retained. 

We  continued  our  journey  at  the  usual  hour  next 
morning.  At  noon  the  variation  was  observed  to  bo 
47°  east.  Our  attention  was  afterwards  directed  to 
some  pine  branches,  scattered  on  the  ice,  which  prov- 
ed to  be  marks  placed  by  our  hunters,  to  guide  us  to 
the  spot  where  they  had  deposited  the  carcasses  of  two 
small  deer.     This  supply  was  very  seasonable,  and  the 


164 


Thirty  Years 


men  cheerfully  dragged  the  additional  weight.  Akait- 
cho,  judging  from  the  appearance  of  the  meat,  thought 
it  had  been  placed  here  three  days  ago,  and  that  the 
hunters  were  considerably  in  advance.  We  put  up  at 
six  P.M.,  near  the  end  of  the  lake,  having  come  twelve 
miles  and  three-quarters,  and  found  the  channel  open 
by  which  it  is  connected  with  the  Kock-nest  Lake.  A 
river  was  pointed  out,  bearing  south  from  our  encamp- 
ment, which  is  said  to  rise  near  Great  Marten  Lake. 
Eed-rock  Lake  is  in  general  narrow,  its  shelving  banks 
are  well  clothed  with  wood,  and  even  the  hills,  which 
attain  an  elevation  of  four  hundred  or  five  hundred 
feet,  are  ornamented,  half  way  up,  with  stunted 
pines. 

On  June  30,  the  men  having  gummed  the  canoes, 
embarked  with  their  burdens  to  descend  the  river ; 
but  we  accompanied  the  Indians  about  five  miles 
across  a  neck  of  land,  when  we  also  embarked.  The 
river  was  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  its 
course  being  uninterrupted,  we  cherished  a  sanguine 
hope  of  now  getting  on  more  speedily,  until  we  per- 
ceived that  the  waters  of  Eock-nest  Lake  were  still 
bound  by  ice,  and  that  recourse  must  again  be  had 
to  the  sledges.  The  ice  was  much  decayed,  and  we 
were  exposed  to  great  risk  of  breaking  through  in 
making  the  traverse.  In  one  part  we  had  to  cross  an 
open  channel  in  the  canoes,  and  in  another  were  com- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


165 


pelled  to  quit  the  lake,  and  make  a  portage  along  the 
land.  When  the  party  had  got  upon  the  ice  again, 
our  guide  evinced  much  uncertainty  as  to  the  route. 
He  first  directed  us  towards  the  west  end  of  the  lake  ; 
but  when  we  had  nearly  gained  that  point,  he  discov- 
ered a  remarkable  rock  to  the  north-east,  named  by 
the  Indians  the  Rock-nest,  and  then  recollected  that 
the  River  ran  at  its  base.  Our  course  was  immediate- 
ly changed  to  that  direction,  but  the  traverse  we  had 
then  to  make  was  more  dangerous  than  the  former  one. 
The  ice  cracked  under  us  at  every  step,  and  the  party 
were  obliged  to  separate  themselves  widely  to  prevent 
accidents.  We  landed  at  the  first  point  we  could  ap- 
proach, but  having  found  an  open  channel  close  to  the 
shore,  we  were  obliged  to  ferry  the  goods  across  on 
pieces  of  ice.  The  fresh  meat  being  expended,  we  had 
to  make  another  inroad  on  our  pounded  meat.  The 
evening  was  very  warm,  and  the  musquitoes  numerous. 
A  large  fire  was  made  to  apprise  the  hunters  of  our 
advance.  The  scenery  of  Rock-nest  Lake  is  pictu- 
resque, its  shores  are  ratiier  low,  except  at  the  Rock's- 
nest,  and  two  or  three  eminences  on  the  eastern  side. 
The  only  wood  is  the  pine,  which  is  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  higV.,  :*ad  about  one  foot  in  diameter.  Our  dis- 
tance to-day  was  six  miles. 

July  1. — Our  guide  directed  us  to  proceed  towards 
a  deep  bay  on  the  north  side  of  the  lake,  where  he 


\ 


166 


Thfrty  Years 


supposed  we  bhould  find  the  river.  In  consequence  of 
the  bad  stiite  of  the  ice,  we  employed  all  the  different 
modes  of  traveling  we  had  previously  followed  in  at- 
taining this  place  ;  and,  in  crossing  a  point  of  land, 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  one  of  the  dogs,  which  set 
off  in  puisuit  of  some  reindeer.  Arriving  at  the  bay, 
we  only  found  a  stream  that  fell  into  it  from  the 
north-east,  and  looked  in  vain  for  the  Copper-Mine 
River.  This  circumstance  confused  the  guide,  and  he 
confessed  that  he  was  new  doubtful  of  the  proper 
route  ;  we,  therefore,  halted,  and  deRj)atched  him, 
with  two  men,  to  look  for  the  river  from  the  top  of  the 
high  hills  near  the  Nest-rock.  During  this  delay  a 
slight  injury  was  repaired,  which  one  of  the  canoes  had 
received.  We  were  here  amused  by  the  interesting 
8pecf.aclo  of  a  wolf  chasing  two  reindeer  on  the  ice. 
The  pursuer  being  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  our  men, 
gave  up  the  chase  when  near  to  the  hindmost,  much  to 
our  regret,  for  we  were  calculating  upon  the  chance  of 
sharing  in  his  capture. 

At  four  P.M.  our  men  returned,  with  the  ag-eeable 
information  that  they  had  seen  the  river  flowing  at  the 
base  of  the  Rock-nest.  The  canoes  and  stores  were 
immediately  j)laccd  on  the  ice,  and  dragged  thither ; 
we  then  embarked,  but  soon  had  to  cut  through  a  bar- 
rier of  drift  ice  that  blocked  up  the  way.  Wo  after- 
wards descended   two*  strong   rapids,  and  encamped 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


167 


near  to  the  discharge  of  a  small  stream  which  flows 
from  an  adjoining  lake.  The  Copper-Mine  River,  at 
this  point,  is  about  two  hundred  yards  wide^  and  ten 
feet  deep,  and  flows  very  rapidly  over  a  rocky  bottom. 
Tiic  scenery  of  its  banks  is  picturesque,  the  hills 
shelve  to  the  water-side,  and  are  well  covered  with 
wood,  and  the  surface  of  the  rocks  is  richly  orna- 
mented with  lichens.  The  Indians  say  that  the  same 
kind  of  country  prevails  as  far  as  Mackenzie's  River 
in  this  parallel  ;  but  that  the  land  to  the  eastward  is 
}?crfectly  barren.  Akaiteho  and  one  of  the  Indians 
killed  two  deer,  which  were  immediately  sent  for. 
Two  of  the  hunters  arrived  in  the  night,  and  wo 
learned  that  their  companions,  instead  of  being  in 
advance,  as  we  supposed,  were  staying  at  the  place 
where  we  first  found  the  river  ojien.  They  had  only 
seen  our  fires  last  evening,  and  had  sent  to  examine 
who  we  were.  The  circumstance  of  having  passed 
them  was  very  vexatious,  as  they  had  three  deer  en 
cache  at  their  encampment.  However,  an  Indian  was 
sent  to  desire  those  who  remained  to  join  us,  and  bring 
the  meat. 

We   embarked  at  nine   A.  M.  on  July  2nd,   and 
descended  a  succession  of  strong  rapids  for   three 
miles.      We  were  carried   along   with  extiaordinary 
rapidity,  shooting  over  large  stones,  upon  which  a 
single   stroke   would   have   been   destructive   to   the 


168 


Thirty  Years 


canoes  ;  and  w^  were  also  iu  danger  of  breaking  them, 
from  the  want  of  the  long  poles  which  lie  along  their 
bottoms  and  equalize  their  cargoes,  as  they  plunged 
very  mush,  and  on  one  occasion  the  first  canoe  was 
almost  filled  with  the  waves.  But  there  was  no  re- 
ceding after  we  had  once  launched  into  the  •  stream, 
and  our  safety  depended  on  the  skill  and  dexterity 
of  the  bowmen  and  steersmen.  The  banks  of  the 
river  here  are  rocky,  and  the  scenery  beautiful  ;  con- 
sisting of  gentle  elevations  and  dales  wooded  to  the 
edge  of  the  stream,  and  flanked  on  both  sides  at  the 
distance  of  three  or  four  miles  bv  a  range  of  round- 
backed  barren  hills,  upwards  of  six  hundred  feet  high. 
At  the  foot  of  the  rapids  the  high  lands  receded  to  a 
greater  distance,  and  the  river  flowed  with  a  more 
gentle  current,  in  a  wider  channel,  through  a  level 
and  open  country  consisting  of  alluvial  sand.  In  one 
place  the  passage  was  blocked  up  by  drift  ice,  still 
covered  to  some  depth  with  snow.  A  channel  for  the 
canoes  was  made  for  some  way  with  the  hatchets  and 
poles  ;  but  on  reaching  the  more  compact  part  we 
were  under  the  necessity  of  transporting  the  canoes 
and  cargoes  across  it ;  an  operation  of  much  hazard, 
as  the  snow  concealed  the  numerous  holes  which  the 
water  had  made  in  the  ice.  This  expansion  of  the 
river  being  mistaken  by  the  guide  for  a  lake,  which 
he  spoke  of  as  the  last  on  our  route  to  the  sea,  we 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


169 


supposed  that  we  should  have  no  more  ice  to  cross, 
and  therefore  encamped  after  passing  through  it,  for 
the  purpose  of  fitting  the  canoes  properly  for  the  voy- 
age, and  to  provide  poles,  which  are  not  only  necessary 
to  strengthen  them  when  placed  in  the  bottom,  but 
essentially  requisite  for  the  safe  management  of  them 
in  dangerous  rapids.  The  guide  began  afterwards  to 
doubt  whether  the  lake  he  meant  was  not  further  on, 
and  he  was  sent  with  two  men  to  examine  into  the 
fact,  who  returned  in  the  evening  with  the  informa- 
tion of  its  being  below  us,  but  that  there  was  an  open 
channel  through  it.  This  day  was  very  sultry,  several 
plants  appeared  in  flower. 

The  men  were  employed  in  repairing  their  canoes  to 
a  late  hour,  and  commenced  very  early  next  morning, 
as  we  were  desirous  of  availing  ourselves  of  every  part 
of  this  favorable  weather  for  their  operations.  The 
hunters  arrived  in  the  course  of  the  night.  It  ap- 
peared that  the  dog  which  escaped  from  us  two  days 
ago  came  into  the  vicinity  jof  their  encampment, 
howling  piteously ;  seeing  him  without  his  harness, 
they  came  to  the  hasty  conclusion  that  our  whole 
party  had  perished  in  a  rapid  ;  and  throwing  away 
part  of  their  baggage,  and  leaving  the  meat  behind 
them,  they  set  off  with  the  utmost  haste  to  join  Lono"- 
legs.     Our  messenger  met  them  in  their  flight,  but  too 

far  advanced  to  admit  of  their  returning  for  the  meat 

8 


170 


Thirty  Tears 


Akaitcho  scolded  them  heartily  for  their  thoughtless- 
ness ia  leaving  the  meat,  which  we  so  much  wanted. 
They  expressed  their  regret,  and  being  ashamed  ol 
their  panic,  proposed  to  remedy  the  evil  as  much  as 
possible  by  going  forward,  without  stopping  until  they 
came  to  a  favorable  spot  for  hunting,  which  they  ex- 
pected to  do  about  thirty  or  forty  miles  below  our 
present  encampment.  Akaitcho  accompanied  them, 
but  previous  to  setting  off  he  renewed  his  charge  that 
we  should  be  on  our  guard  against  the  bears,  which 
was  occasioned  by  the  hunters  having  fired  at  one  this 
morning  as  they  were  descending  a  rapid  in  their 
canoe.  As  their  small  canoes  would  only  carry  five 
persons,  two  of  the  hunters  had  to  walk  in  turns  along 
the  banks. 

In  our  rambles  round  the  encampment,  we  witnessed 
with  pleasure  the  progress  which  the  vegetation  had 
made  within  the  few  last  warm  days  ;  most  of  the 
trees  had  put  forth  their  leaves,  and  several  flowers 
ornamented  the  moss-covered  ground ;  many  of  the 
smaller  summer  birds  were  observed  in  the  woods,  and 
a  variety  of  ducks,  gulls,  and  plovers,  were  seen  on  the 
banks  oi  the  river.  The  river  is  about  three  hundred 
yards  wide  at  this  part,  is  deep  and  flows  over  a  bed 
of  alluvial  sand.  "We  caught  some  trout  of  con- 
siderable size  with  our  lines,  and  a  few  white  fish  in 
the  nets,  which  maintained  us,  with  a  little  assistance 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


171 


from  the  pemmican.  The  repair  of  our  canoes  was 
completed  this  evening.  Previous  to  embarking  I 
issued  an  order  that  no  rapid  should  in  future  be 
descended  until  the  bowmen  had  examined  it,  and 
decided  upon  its  being  safe  to  run.  Wherever  the 
least  danger  was  to  be  apprehended,  or  the  crew  had 
to  disembark  for  the  purpose  of  lightening  the  canoe, 
the  ammunition,  guns  and  instruments,  were  always 
to  be  put  out  and  carried  along  the  bank  ;  that  we 
might  be  provided  with  the  means  of  subsisting  our- 
selves, in  case  of  any  accident  befalling  the  canoes. 

At  four  in  the  morning  of  July  4th,  we  embarked 
and  descended  a  succession  of  very  agitated  rapids, 
but  took  the  precaution  of  landing  the  articles  men- 
tioned yesterday,  wherever  there  appeared  any  hazard  ; 
notwithstanding  all  our  precautions  the  leading  canoe 
struck  with  great  force  against  a  stone,  and  the  bark 
was  split,  but  this  injur »'  was  easily  repaired,  and  we 
regretted  only  the  loss  of  time.  At  eleven  we  came 
to  an  expansion  of  the  river  where  the  current  ran 
with  less  force,  and  an  accumulation  of  drift  ice  had, 
in  consequence,  barred  the  channel ;  which  the  canoes 
and  cargoes  were  carried  over.  The  ice  in  many  places 
adhered  to  the  banks,  and  projected  in  wide  ledges 
several  feet  thick  over  the  stream,  which  had  hollowed 
them  out  beneath.  On  one  occasion,  as  the  people 
were  embarking  from  one  of  these  ledges,  it  suddenly 


172 


Thirty  Years 


gave  way,  and  three  men  were  precipitated  into  the 
water,  but  were  rescued  without  further  damage  than 
a  sound  ducking,  and  the  canoe  fortunately  (and  nar- 
rowly) escaped  being  crushed.  Perceiving  one  of  the 
Indians  sitting  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  we 
landed,  and  having  learned  from  him  that  Akaitcho 
and  the  hunters  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  a  herd  of  musk 
oxen,  we  encamped,  having  come  twenty-four  miles 
and  a  half. 

'  In  the  afternoon  they  brought  us  the  agreeable 
intelligence  of  their  having  killed  eight  cows,  of  which 
four  were  full  grown.  All  the  party  were  immediately 
despatched  to  bring  in  this  seasonable  supply.  A 
young  cow,  irritated  by  the  firing  of  the  hunters,  ran 
down  to  the  river,  and  passed  close  to  me  when  walk- 
ing at  a  short  distance  from  the  tents.  I  fired  and 
wounded  it,  when  the  animal  instantly  turned,  and 
ran  at  me,  but  I  avoided  its  fury  by  jumping  aside 
and  getting  upon  an  elevated  piece  of  ground.  In  the 
mean  time  some  people  came  from  the  tents,  and  it 
took  to  flight. 

The  musk  oxen,  like  the  bufialo,  herd  together  in 
bands,  and  generally  frequent  the  barren  grounds  du- 
ring the  summer  months,  keeping  near  to  the  banks 
of  the  river,  but  retire  to  the  woods  in  winter.  They 
seem  to  be  less  watchful  than  most  other  wild  ani- 
mals, and  when  grazing  are  not  difficult  to  approach. 


Jn  the  Arctic  Regions. 


173 


provided  the  hunters  go  against  the  wind  ;  when  two 
or  three  men  get  so  aear  a  herd  as  to  fire  at  them  from 
different  points,  these  animals,  instead  of  separating 
or  running  away,  huddle  closer  together,  and  several 
are  generally  killed  ;  but  if  the  wound  is  not  mortal 
they  become  enraged  and  dart  in  the  most  furious 
manner  at  the  hunters,  who  must  be  very  dexterous 
to  evade  them.  They  can  defend  themselves  by  their 
powerful  horns  against  the  wolves  and  bears,  which, 
as  the  Indians  say,  they  not  un  frequently  kill. 

The  musk  oxen  feed  on  the  same  substances  with 
the  reindeer,  and  the  prints  of  the  feet  of  these  two 
animals  are  so  much  alike  that  it  requires  the  eye  of 
an  experienced  hunter  to  distinguish  them.  The 
largest  of  these  animals  killed  by  us  did  not  exceed  in 
weight  three  hundred  pounds.  The  flesh  has  a 
musky,  disagreeable  flavor,  particularly  when  the  ani- 
mal is  lean,  which  unfortunately  for  us,  was  the  case 
with  all  that  were  now  killed  by  us. 

During  this  day's  march  the  river  varied  in  breadth 
from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet,  and  except  in 
two  open  spaces,  a  very  strong  current  marked  a  deep 
descent  the  whole  way.  It  flows  over  a  bed  of  gravel, 
of  which  also  its  immediate  banks  are  composed. 
Near  to  our  encampment  it  is  bounded  by  cliffs  of  fine 
sand  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet  high. 
Sandy  plains  extend  on  a  level  with  the  summit  of 


# 


174 


Thirty   Years 


these  cliffs,  and  at  the  distance  of  six  or  seven  miles 
are  terminated  by  ranges  of  hills  eight  hundred  or  one 
thousand  feet  high.  The  grass  on  these  plains  affords 
excellent  pasturage  for  the  musk  oxen,  and  they  gen- 
erally abound  here.  The  hunters  added  two  more  to 
our  stock  in  the  course  of  the  night.  As  we  had  now 
more  meat  than  the  party  could  consume  fresh,  we  de- 
layed our  voyage  next  day  for  the  purpose  of  drying 
it.  The  hunters  were  supplied  with  more  ammuni- 
tion and  sent  forward  ;  but  Akaitcho,  his  brother,  and 
another  Indian  remained  with  us. 

It  may  here  be  proper  to  mention,  that  the  officers 
had  treated  Akaitcho  more  distantly  since  our  depar- 
ture from  Point  Lake,  for  the  purpose  of  shewing  him 
their  opinion  of  his  misconduct.  The  diligence  in 
hunting,  however,  which  he  had  evinced  at  this  place, 
induced  us  to  receive  him  more  familiarly  when  he 
came  to  the  tent  this  evening.  During  our  conversa- 
tion he  endeavored  to  excite  suspicions  in  our  minds 
against  the  Hook,  by  saying,  "  I  am  aware  that  you 
consider  me  the  worst  man  of  my  nation  ;  but  I  know 
the  Hook  to  be  a  great  rogue,  and,  I  think,  he  will 
disappoint  you." 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  we  embarked,  and  de- 
scended a  series  of  rapids,  having  twice  unloaded  the 
canoes  where  the  water  was  shallow.  After  passing 
the  mouth  of  the  Fairy  Lake  River  the  rapids  ceased. 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona, 


175 


The  main  stream  was  then  about  three  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  generally  deep,  though,  in  one  part,  the 
channel  was  interrupted  by  several  sandy  banks,  and 
low  alluvial  islands  covered  with  willows.  It  flows 
between  banks  of  sand  thinly  wooded,  and  as  we  ad- 
vanced the  barren  hills  approached  the  water's  edge. 

At  ten  we  rejoined  our  hunters,  who  had  killed  a 
deer,  and  halted  to  breakfast.  We  sent  them  forward  ; 
one  of  them,  who  was  walking  along  the  shore  after- 
wards, fired  upon  two  brown  bears,  and  wounded  one 
of  them,  which  instantly  turned  and  pursued  him. 
His  companions  in  the  canoes  put  ashore  to  his  as- 
sistance, but  did  not  succeed  in  killing  the  bears, 
which  fled  upon  the  reinforcement  coming  up. 
During  the  delay  thus  occasioned  we  overtook  them, 
and  they  continued  with  us  during  the  rest  of  the  day. 


176 


Thirty  Tears 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


On  the  11th  we  traveled  nine  miles  to  the  foot  of 
the  Copper  Mountains,  the  day  being  hot.  On  the 
12th  passed  on  our  way  twelve  miles.  In  the  evening 
we  had  the  gratification  of  meeting  Junius,  who  was 
hastening  back  to  inform  us  that  they  had  found  four 
Esquimaux  tents  at  the  fall  which  we  recognized  to  be 
the  one  described  by  Mr.  Hearne.  The  inmates  were 
asleep  at  the  time  of  their  arrival,  but  rose  soon  after- 
wards, and  then  Augustus  presented  himself,  and  had 
some  conversation  across  the  river.  He  told  them  the 
white  people  had  arrived,  who  would  make  them  very 
useful  presents.  The  information  of  our  arrival  seem- 
ed to  alarm  them  very  much,  but  as  the  noise  of  the 
rapid  prevented  them  from  hearing  distinctly,  one  of 
them  came  nearer  to  him  in  his  canoe,  and  received 
the  rest  of  the  message.  He  would  not,  however, 
land  on  his  side  of  the  river,  but  returned  to  their 
tents  without  receiving  the  present.  His  language 
differed  in  some  respects  from  Augustus's,  but  they 
understood    each    other    tolerably  well.      Augustus 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


177 


trusting  for  a  supply  of  provision  to  the  Esquimaux, 
had  neglected  to  carry  any  with  him,  and  this  was  the 
main  cause  of  Junius's  return.  We  now  encamped, 
having  come  fourteen  miles.  After  a  few  hours'  rest, 
Junius  set  off  again  to  rejoin  hys  companion,  being  ac- 
companied by  Hepburn,  who  was  directed  to  remain 
about  two  miles  above  the  fall,  to  arrest  the  canoes  on 
their  passage,  lest  we  should  too  suddenly  surprise  thv3 
Escfuimaux.  About  ten  P.M.  we  were  mortified  by 
the  appearance  of  the  Indians  with  Mr.  Wentzel,  who 
had  in  vain  endeavored  to  restrain  them  from  follow- 
ing us.  Tie  only  reason  assigned  by  Akaitcho  for  this 
conduct  was,  that  he  wished  a  re-assurance  of  my 
promise  to  establish  peace  between  his  nation  and  the 
Esquimaux.  I  took  this  occasion  of  pointing  out 
again  the  necessity  of  their  remaining  behind,  until 
we  had  obtained  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  their 
enemies.  After  supper  Dr.  Richardson  ascended  a 
lofty  hill  about  three  miles  from  the  encampment,  and 
obtained  the  first  view  of  the  sea ;  it  appeared  to  be 
covered  with  ice.  A  large  promontory,  which  I  nam- 
ed Cape  liearne,  bore  N.E.,  and  its  lofty  mountains 
proved  to  be  the  blue  land  we  had  seen  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  wliich  had  led  us  to  believe  the  sea  was  still 
far  distant.  He  saw  the  sun  set  a  few  minutes  before 
midnight  from  the  same  elevated  situation.     It  did 


•o' 


not  rise  during  the  half  hour  he  remained  there,  but 


178 


Thirty  Years 


before  lie  reached  the  encampment  its  rays  gilded  the 
tops  of  the  hills. 

The  night  was  warm  and  we  were  much  annoyed  by 
the  musquitoes.  .     . 

June  15. — We  this  morning  experienced  as  much 
difficulty  as  before  in  prevailing  upon  the  Indians  to 
remain  behind,  and  they  did  not  consent  to  do  so  until 
I  had  assured  them  that  they  should  lose  the  reward 
which  had  been  promised,  if  they  proceeded  any  far- 
ther, until  we  had  prepared  the  Esquimaux  to  receive 
them.     We  left  a  Canadian  with  them,  and  proceeded 
on  our  journey,  not  without  apprehension  that  they 
would  follow  us,  and  derange  our  whole  plan  by  their 
obstinacy.     Two  of  the  officers  and  a  party  of  the 
men  walked  on  the  shore,  to  lighten  the  canoes.     The 
river,  in  this  part,  flows  between  high  sand-stone  clifts, 
reddish  slate  clay  rocks,  and  shelving  banks  of  white 
clay,  and  is  full  of  shoals  and  dangerous  rapids.     One 
of  these  was  termed  Escape  Kapid,  from  both  the 
canoes  having  narrowly  escaped  foundering  in  its  high 
waves.     We  had   entered  the  rapid  before  we  were 
aware,  and  the  steepness  of  the  cliffs  preventing  us 
from  landing,  we  were  indebted  to  the  swiftness  of  our 
descent  for  our  preservation.     Two  waves  made  a  com- 
plete breach  over  the  canoes  ;  a  third  would  in  all 
probability  have  filled  and  overset  them,  which  must 
have  proved  fatal  to  every  one  in  them.     The  powder 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


179 


fortunately  escaped  the  water,  which  was  soon  dis- 
charged when  we  reached  the  hottom  of  the  rapid. 
At  noon  we  perceived  Hepburn  lying  on  the  left  bani? 
of  the  river,  and  we  landed  immediately  to  receive  his 
information.  As  he  represented  the  water  to  be  shoal 
the  whole  way  to  the  rapid,  (below  which  the  Esqui- 
maux were,)  the  shore  party  were  directed  to  continue 
their  march  to  a  sandy  bay  at  the  head  of  the  fall, 
and  there  await  the  arrival  of  the  canoes.  The  land 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  rapid,  is  of  the  most  sin- 
gular form  :  large  irregular  sand  hills  bounding  both 
banks,  ?.  pparently  so  unconnected  that  they  resemble 
icebergs  ;  the  country  around  them  consisting  of  high 
round  green  hills.  The  river  became  wide  in  this  part 
and  full  of  shoals,  but  we  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
a  channel  through  them.  On  regaining  the  shore 
party,  we  regretted  to  find  that  some  ox  the  men  had 
incautiously  appeared  on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  just  at 
the  time  Augustus  was  conversing  with  one  of  the 
Esquimaux,  who  had  approached  in  his  canoe,  and 
was  almost  persuaded  to  land.  The  unfortunate  ap- 
pearance of  so  many  people  at  this  instant,  revived 
his  fears,  and  he  crossed  over  to  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  river,  and  fled  with  the  whole  of  his  party.  We 
learned  from  Augustus  that  this  party,  consisting  of 
four  men  and  as  many  women,  had  manifested  a 
friendly  disposition.     Two  of  the  men  were  very  tall. 


180 


Thirty  Years 


The  man  who  first  camo  to  speak  to  him,  inquired  the 
number  of  canoes  that  wo  had  with  us,  expressed  him- 
self to  bo  not  displeased  at  our  arrival,  and  desired 
him  to  caution  us  not  to  attempt  running  the  rapid, 
but  to  make  the  portage  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
Notwithstanding  this  appearance  of  confidence  and 
satisfaction,  it  seems  they  did  not  consider  their  situa- 
tion to  be  free  from  danger,  as  they  retreated  the  first 
night  to  an  island  somewhat  farther  down  the  river, 
and  in  the  morning  they  returned  and  threw  down 
their  lodges,  as  if  to  give  notice  to  any  of  their  na- 
tion that  might  arrive,  that  there  was  an  enemy  in  the 
neighborhood.  From  seeing  all  their  property  strewed 
about,  and  ten  of  their  dogs  left,  we  entertained  the 
hope  that  these  poor  people  would  return  after  their 
first  uliirm  had  subsided  ;  and  therefore  I  determined 
on  remaining  until  the  next  day,  in  the  expectation  of 
seeing  them,  as  I  considered  the  opening  of  an  early 
communication  to  bo  a  matter  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance in  our  state  of  absolute  ignorance  respecting  the 
sea  coast.  The  canoes  and  cargoes  were  carried  across 
the  portage,  and  we  encamped  on  the  north  side  of  it. 
We  sont  Augustus  and  Junius  across  the  river  to  look 
for  the  runaways,  but  their  search  was  fruitless. 
They  put  a  few  ])iece8  of  iron  and  trinkets  in  their 
canoes,  which  were  lying  on  the  beach.  We  also  sent 
some  men  to  put  up  the  stages  of  fish,  and  secure 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


181 


them  aa  much  as  poaaiblo  from  the  attacks  of  the  dogs. 
Uuder  the  covering  of  their  tents  were  observed  some 
utono  kettles  and  hatchets,  a  few  fish  spears  made  of 
copper,  two  small  bits  of  iron,  a  quantity  of  skins, 
and  some  dried  salmon,  which  was  covered  with  mag- 
gots, and  half  putrid.  The  entrails  of  the  fish  were 
spread  out  to  dry.  A  great  many  skins  of  small  birds 
were  hung  up  to  a  stage,  and  even  two  mice  were  pre- 
served in  the  same  way.  Thus  it  would  appear  that 
the  necessities  of  these  poor  people  induce  them  to 
preserve  every  articl(3  tliat  can  be  possibly  used  as  food. 
Several  human  skulls,  which  bore  the  marks  of  vio- 
lence, and  many  bones  wero-strewed  about  the  ground 
near  to  the  encampment,  and  as  tlie  spot  exactly  an- 
swers the  description  given  by  Mr.  llearne,  of  the 
place  where  the  Cliipewyans  who  accompanied  him 
perpetrated  the  dreadful  massacre  on  the  Esquimaux, 
we  had  no  doubt  of  this  being  the  place,  notwithstand- 
ing the  diffcrenco  in  its  position  as  to  latitude  and 
longitude  given  by  him,  and  ascertained  by  our  ob- 
servation. We  have,  therefore,  preserved  the  ajjpel- 
lation  of  Bloody  Fall,  which  he  bestowed  upon  it. 
This  rapid  is  a  sort  of  shelving  cascade,  about  three 
hundred  yards  in  length,  having  a  descent  of  from  ten 
to  fifte  n  feet.  It  is  bounded  on  each  side  by  high 
wails  of  red  snnd  stone,  upon  which  rests  a  series  of 
lofty  green  hills.     On  its  north  side^  close  to  the  east 


182 


Thirty  Years 


bank,  is  the  low  rocky  island  which  the  Esquimaux 
deserted.  We  caught  forty  excellent  fish  of  the  sal- 
mon and  white  fish  species  in  a  single  net  below  the 
rapid.  We  had  not  seen  any  trees  during  this  day's 
journey ;  our  fuel  consisted  of  small  willows  and 
pieces  of  dried  wood  that  were  picked  up  near  to  the 
encampment.  The  ground  is  well  clothed  with  grass, 
and  nourishes  most  of  the  shrubs  and  berry-bearing 
plants  that  we  have  seen  north  of  Fort  Enterprize ; 
and  the  country  altogether  has  a  richer  appearance 
than  the  barren  lands  of  the  Copper  Indians.  We 
had  a  distinct  view  of  the  sea  from  the  summit  of  a 
hill  behind  the  tents  ;  it  appeared  choked  with  ice 
and  full  of  islands.  * 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  three  men  were  sent  up 
the  river  to  search  for  dried  wood  to  make  floats  for 
the  nets.  Adam,  the  interpreter,  was  also  despatched 
with  a  Canadian  to  inform  Akaitcho  of  the  flight  of 
the  Esquimau-i.  We  were  preparing  to  go  down  to 
the  sea  in  one  of  the  canoes,  leaving  Mr.  Back  to  await 
the  return  of  the  men  who  were  absent ;  but  just  as 
the  crew  were  putting  the  canoe  in  the  water,  Adam 
arrived  in  the  utmost  consternation,  and  informed  us 
that  a  party  of  Esquimaux  were  pursuing  the  men 
whom  he  had  sent  to  collect  floats.  The  orders  for 
embarking  were  instantly  countermanded,  and  we 
went  with  a  party  of  men  to  their  rescue.     We  soon 


■4f 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


183 


met  our  people  returning  at  a  slow  pace,  and  learned 
that  they  had  come  unawares  upon  the  Esquimaux 
party,  which  consisted  of  six  men,  with  their  women 
and  children,  who  were  traveling  towards  the  rapid 
with  a  considerable  number  of  dogs  carrying  their 
baggage.  The  women  hid  themselves  on  the  first 
alarm,  but  the  men  advanced,  and  stopping  at  some 
distance  from  our  men,  began  to  dance  in  a  circle, 
tossing  up  their  hands  in  the  air,  and  accompanying 
their  motions  with  much  shouting,  to  signify,  I  con- 
ceive, their  desire  of  peace.  Our  men  saluted  them 
by  pulling  off  their  hats,  and  making  bows,  but 
neither  party  was  willing  to  approach  the  other ;  and, 
at  length,  the  Esquimaux  retired  to  the  hill,  from 
whence  they  had  descended  when  first  seen.  We 
proceeded  in  the  hope  of  gaining  an  interview  with 
them,  but  lest  our  appearance  in  a  body  should  alarm 
them,  we  advanced  in  a  long  line,  at  the  head  of 
which  was  Augustus.  We  were  led  to  their  baggage, 
which  they  had  deserted,  by  the  howling  of  the  dogs  ; 
and  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  we  found,  lying  behind 
a  stone,  an  old  man,  who  was  too  infirm  to  effect  his 
escape  with  the  rest.  He  was  much  terrified  when 
Augustus  advanced,  and  probably  expected  immediate 
death  ;  but  that  the  fatal  blow  might  not  be  unre- 
venged,  he  seized  his  spear,  and  made  a  thrust  with  it 
at  his  supposed  enemy.      Augustus,  however,  easily 


184 


Thirty  Years 


n'prosscd  his  focMo  ciTort,  niul  soon  calmoil  hin  fours 
by  prcacnting  him  with  Homo  pieces  of  iron,  nnd 
nsfmring  him  of  his  friendly  intentions.  Dr.  Richard- 
eon  ftnd  I  then  joined  them,  nnd,  after  receiving  our 
presents,  tho  old  mnn  was  quite  composed,  antl  he- 
*cftmc  communieutive.  His  dialect  difi'iM-ed  from  that 
used  by  Augustus,  but  they  understood  each  other 
tolerably  well. 

It  appeannl  that  his  party  consisted  of  eight  men 
nnd  their  families,  who  were  returning  from  a  hunting 
excursion  with  dried  meat.  After  being  told  who  we 
wen%  he  said,  that  he  had  heard  of  wliile  j)eoj)le  from 
ditVen^nt  i>artiea  of  his  nation  which  n\sided  on  the  sea- 
coast  to  the  eastward  ;  and  to  our  inquiries  respecting 
the  provision  nnd  fuel  wo  might  expect  to  get  on  our 
voyage,  he  informed  us  that  the  reindeer  frequent  tlie 
coast  during  summer,  the  fish  are  plentiful  at  tlie 
mouths  of  tlic  rivers,  the  seals  arc  abundant,  but  there 
are  no  sea-ht>rse8  nor  whales,  although  he  remember- 
ed one  of  the  latter,  which  had  been  killed  by  some 
distant  tribe,  having  been  driven  on  shore  on  his 
part  of  the  coast  by  a  gale  of  wind  ;  that  musk  oxon 
wen*  to  \}o  found  a  little  distance  up  tho  rivers,  and 
that  we  should  find  drift  wood  ilong  the  shore.  He 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  coast  to  the  eastwanl  beyonil 
the  next  river,  which  he  called  Nappa-arktok-towock, 
or  Tree  River.     The  old  man,  contrary  to  the  Indian 


In  the  Arctic  Hcgions, 


185 


pmctico,  asked  each  of  our  mimes  ;  and,  in  reply  to  ft 
similnr  question  on  our  part,  said  his  was  Tcrrcgan- 
iioDUck,  or  tlio  White  Fox  ;  and  that  his  tribe  denomi- 
nated themselves  Nagge-ook-tor-ma»oot,  or  Deer  Horn 
Esquimaux.  They  usually  frequent  the  Bloody  Fall 
during  this  and  the  following  moons,  for  tho  purpose 
of  salting  salmoh,  and  then  retire  to  a  river  which 
flows  into  tho  sea,  a  short  way  to  tho  westward,  (since 
denominated  Richardson's  lliver,)  and  pass  the  win- 
ter in  snow-h()uso8. 

After  this  conversation,  Terregannocuck  proposed 
going  down  to  his  baggage,  and  we  then  perceived  ho 
was  too  infirm  to  walk  without  the  assistance  of  sticks. 
Augustus,  therefore,  oflered  him  his  arm,  which  ho 
readily  accepted,  and,  on  reaching  his  store,  ho  distri- 
buted pieces  of  dried  meat  to  each  person,  which, 
though  highly  tainted,  wore  immediately  eaten  ;  this 
being  an  universal  token  .imong  the  Indians  of  peace- 
able intcQtion. 

We  then  informed  him  of  our  desire  to  procure  as 
much  me.'it  as  we  possibly  could,  and  ho  told  us  that 
he  had  a  large  qiiantity  concealed  in  the  neighborhood, 
wliiili  he  would  cause  to  be  carried  to  us  when  his 
people  returned. 

I  now  communicated  to  him  that  we  were  accora- 
])!inied  by  some  Copper  Indians,  who  were  very  desi- 
rous to  make  peace  with  his  nation,  and   that  they 


186 


Thirty  Years 


had  requested  me  to  prevail  upon  the  Esquimaux  to 
receive  them  in  a  friendly  manner  ;  to  which  he  re- 
plied, he  should  rejoice  to  see  an  end  put  to  the  hos- 
tility that  existed  between  the  nations,  and,  therefore, 
would  most  gladly  welcome  our  companions.  Having 
despatched  Adam  to  inform  Akaitcho  of  this  circum- 
stance, we  left  Terragannoeuck,  in  the  hope  that  his 
party  would  rejoin  him  ;  \>\ii  as  we  had  doubts  whe- 
ther the  young  men  would  venture  upon  coming  to 
our  tents,  on  the  old  man's  bare  representation,  wo 
sent  Augustus  and  Junius  back  in  the  evening,  to  re- 
main with  him  until  they  came,  that  they  might  fully 
detail  to  them  our  intentions.  >,      v 

The  countenance  of  Terregannoeuck  was  oval,  with 
a  sufficiently  prominent  nose,  and  had  nothing  very 
different  from  an  European  face,  except  in  the  small- 
ness  of  his  eyes,  and,  perhaps,  in  the  narrowness  of 
his  forehead.  His  complexion  was  very  fresh  and  red, 
and  he  had  a  longer  beard  than  I  have  hitherto  seen 
on  any  of  the  Aboriginal  inhabitants  of  America.  It 
was  between  two  and  three  inches  long,  and  perfectly 
white.  His  face  was  not  tattoed.  His  dress  consisted 
of  a  shirt,  or  jacket  with  a  hood,  wide  breeches,  reach- 
ing only  to  the  knee,  and  tight  leggins  sewed  to  the 
shoes,  all  of  deers'  skins.  The  soles  of  the  shoes  were 
made  of  seal-skin,  and  stuffed  with  feathers  instead  of 
socks.     He  was  bent  with  age,  but  appeared  about 


), 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


187 


five  feet  ten  inches  high.  His  hands  and  feet  were 
small  in  proportion  to  his  height.  Whenever  Terre- 
gannoeuck  received  a  present,  he  placed  each  article 
first  on  his  right  shoulder,  then  on  his  left ;  and  when 
he  wished  to  express  still  higher  satisfaction,  he  rub- 
bed it  over  his  head.  He  held  hatchets,  and  other 
iron  instruments,  in  the  highest  esteem.  On  seeing 
his  countenance  in  a  glass  for  the  first  time,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  I  shall  never  kill  deer  more,"  and  immedi- 
ately put  the  mirror  down.  The  tribe  to  which  he 
belongs  repair  to  the  sea  in  spring,  and  kill  seals  ;  as 
the  season  advances  they  hunt  deer  and  musk  oxen 
at  some  distance  from  the  coast.  Their  weapon  is 
the  bow  and  arrow,  and  they  get  sufficiently  near  to 
the  deer,  either  by  crawling,  or  leading  these  animals 
by  ranges  of  turf  towards  a  spot  where  the  archer  can 
conceal  himself.  Their  bows  are  formed  of  three 
pieces  of  fir,  the  centre  piece  alone  bent,  the  other 
two  lying  in  the  same  straight  line  with  the  bow- 
string ;  the  pieces  are  neatly  tied  together  with  sinew. 
Their  canoes  are  similar  to  those  we  saw  in  Hudson's 
Straits,  but  smaller.  They  get  fish  constantly  in  the 
rivers,  and  in  the  sea  as  soon  as  the  ice  breaks  up. 
This  tribe  does  not  make  use  of  nets,  but  they  are 
tolerably  successful  with  the  hook  and  line.  Their 
cooking  utensils  are  made  of  pot-stone,  and  the^  form 
very  neat  dishes  of  fir,  the  sides  being  made  of  thin 


o 


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188 


Thirty  Years 


deal  bent  into  an  oval  form,  secured  at  the  ends  by 
sewing,  and  fitted  so  nicely  to  the  bottom  as  to  be 
perfectly  water  tight.  They  have  also  large  spoons 
made  of  the  horns  of  the  musk  oxen. 

Akaitcho  and  the  Indians  arrived  at  our  tents  in  the 
evening,  and  we  learned  that  they  had  seen  the  Esqui- 
maux the  day  before,  and  endeavored,  without  success, 
to  open  a  communication  with  them.  They  exhibited 
no  hostile  intention,  but  were  afraid  to  come  near. 
Akaitcho  keeping  out  of  their  sight,  followed  them  at 
a  distance,  expecting  that  ultimately  finding  them- 
selves enclosed  between  our  party  and  his,  they  would 
be  compelled  to  come  to  a  parley  with  one  of  us. 
Akaitcho  had  seen  Terregannoeuck  soon  after  our  de- 
parture ;  he  was  much  terrified  at«their  approach,  and 
thrust  his  spear  at  Akaitcho  as  he  had  done  at  Au- 
gustus ;  but  he  was  soon  reconciled  after  the  demon- 
strations of  kindness  the  Indians  made,  in  cutting  off 
the  buttons  from  their  dress  to  present  to  him. 

July  17. — We  waited  all  this  forenoon  in  momentary 
expectation  of  the  return  of  Augustus  and  Junius,  but 
as  they  did  not  appear  at  two  P.M.,  I  sent  Mr.  Hood, 
with  a  party  of  men,  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  their 
detention,  and  to  bring  the  meat  which  Terregan- 
noeuck had  promised  us.  He  returned  at  midnight 
with  the  information,  that  none  of  the  Esquimaux 
had  yet  ventured  to  come  near  Terregannoeuck  except 


In  the  Arctic  Eegions. 


189 


his  aged  wife,  who  had  concealed  herself  among  the 
rocks  at  our  first  interview  ;  and  she  told  him  the  rest 
of  the  party  had  gone  to  a  river,  a  short  distance  to 
the  westward,  where  there  was  another  party  of 
Esquimaux  fishing.  Augustus  and  Junius  had  erected 
the  tent,  and  done  every  thing  in  their  power  to  make 
the  old  man  comfortable  in  their  absence.  Terre- 
gannoeuck  being  unable  to  walk  to  the  place  where 
the  meat  was  concealed,  readily  pointed  the  spot  out 
to  Mr.  Hood,  who  went  thither ;  but  after  ex- 
periencing much  difficulty  in  getting  at  the  column  of 
rock  on  which  it  was  deposited,  he  found  the  meat  too 
putrid  for  our  use.  The  features  of  Terregannoeuck's 
wife  were  remarkable  for  roundness  and  flatness  ;  her 
face  was  much  tattoed,  her  dress  differed  little  from 
the  old  man's. 

In  the  afternoon  a  party  of  nine  Esquimaux  ap- 
peared on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  about  a  mile 
below  our  encampment,  carrying  their  canoes  and  bag- 
gage on  their  backs  ;  but  they  turned  and  fled  as  soon 
as  they  perceived  our  tents.  The  appearance  of  so 
many  different  bands  of  Esquimaux  terrified  the  Indians 
to  such  a  degree,  that  they  determined  on  leaving  us 
the  next  day,  lest  they  should  be  surrounded,  and 
their  retreat  cut  off".  I  endeavored,  by  the  off'er  of 
any  remuneration  they  would  choose,  to  prevail  upon 
one  or  two  of  the  hunters  to  proceed,  but  in  vain ;  and 


190 


Thirty   Years 


I  had  much  difficulty  even  in  obtaining  their  promise 
to  wait  at  the  Copper  Mountains  for  Mr.  Wentzel  and 
the  four  men,  whom  I  intended  to  discharge  at  the 
sea. 

The  fears  which  our  interpreters,  St.  Germain  and 
Adam,  entertained  respecting  the  voyag:e,  were  now 
greatly  increased,  and  both  of  them  came  this  evening 
to  request  their  discharges,  urging  that  their  services 
could  be  no  longer  requisite,  as  the  Indians  were  going 
from  us.  St.  Germain  even  said  that  he  had  under- 
stood he  was  only  engaged  to  accompany  us  as  long  as 
the  Indians  did,  and  persisted  in  this  falsehood  until 
his  agreement  to  go  with  us  throughout  the  voyage 
had  been  twice  read  to  him.  As  these  were  the  only 
two  of  the  party  on  whose  skill  in  hunting  we  could 
rely,  I  was  unable  to  listen  for  a  moment  to  their  de- 
sire of  quitting  us,  and  lest  they  should  leave  us  by 
stealth,  their  motions  were  strictly  watched.  This 
was  not  an  unnecessary  precaution,  as  I  was  informed 
that  they  had  actually  laid  a  plan  tor  eloping  ;  but  the 
rest  of  the  men  knowing  that  their  own  safety  would 
have  been  compromised  had  they  succeeded,  kept  a 
watchful  eye  over  them.  We  knew  that  the  dread  of 
the  Esquimaux  would  prevent  these  men  from  leaving 
us  as  soon  as  the  Indians  were  at  a  distance,  and  we 
trusted  to  their  becoming  reconciled  to  the  joui-noy 
when  once  the  novelty  of  a  sea  voyage  had  worn  off. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


191 


July  18.— As  the  Indians  persevered  in  their  deter- 
mination of  setting  out  this  morning,  I  reminded  them 
through  Mr.  Wentzel  and  St.  Germain,  of  the  neces- 
sity of  our  having  the  deposit  of  provision  made  at 
Fort  Enterprize,  and  received  a  renewed  assurance  of 
their  attending  to  that  point.  They  were  also  desired 
to  put  as  much  meat  as  they  could  en  cache  on  the 
banks  of  the  Copper-Mine  River  on  their  return.  We 
then  furnished  them  with  as  much  ammunition  as  we 
could  spare,  and  they  took  their  departure,  promising 
to  wait  three  days  for  Mr.  Wentzel  at  the  Copper 
Mountains.  We  afterwards  learned  that  their  fears 
did  not  permit  them  to  do  so,  and  that  Mr.  Wentzel 
did  not  rejoin  them  until  they  were  a  day's  march  to 
the  southward  of  the  mountains. 

We  embarked  at  five  A.M.  and  proceeded  towards 
the  sea,  which  is  about  nine  mile  distant  from  the 
Bloody  Fall.  After  passing  a  few  rapids,  the  river 
became  wider,  and  more  navigable  for  canoes,  flowing 
between  banks  of  alluvial  sand.  We  encamped  at 
ten  on  the  western  bank  at  its  junction  with  the  sea. 
The  river  is  here  about  a  mile  wide,  but  very  shallow, 
being  barred  nearly  across  hj  sand  banks,  which  run 
out  from  the  main  land  on  each  side  to  a  low  alluvial 
island  that  lies  in  the  centre,  and  forms  two  channels  ; 
of  these  the  westermost  only  is  navigable  even  for  ca- 
noes, the  other  being  obstructed  by  a  stony  bar.     The 


192 


Thirty  Years 


islands  to  seaward  are  high  and  numerousy  and  fill  the 
horizon  in  many  points  of  the  compass  ;  the  only  open 
space,  seen  from  an  eminence  near  the  encampment, 
being  from  N.bE.  to  N.E.bN.  Towards  the  east  the 
land  was  like  a  chain  of  islands,  the  ice  surrounded 
the  islands  apparently  in  a  compact  body,  leaving  a 
channel  between  its  edge  and  the  main  of  about  three 
miles.  The  water  in  this  channel  was  of  a  clear  green 
color,  and  decidedly  salt.  Mr.  Hearne  could  have 
only  tasted  it  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  when  he  pro- 
nounced it  to  be  merely  brackish.  A  rise  and  fall  of 
four  inches  in  the  water  was  observed.  The  shore  is 
strewed  with  a  considerable  quantity  of  drift  timber, 
which  is  principally  of  the  wood  of  the  populus  hal- 
samifera,  but  none  of  it  of  great  size.  We  also  pick- 
ed up  some  decayed  wood  far  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
water.  A  few  stunted  willows  were  growing  near  the 
encampment.  Some  ducks,  gulls,  and  partridges  were 
seen  to-day.  As  I  had  to  make  up  despatches  for 
England  to  be  sent  by  Mr.  Wentzel,  the  nets  were 
set  in  the  interim,  and  we  were  rejoiced  to  find  that 
they  produced  a  sufficiency  offish  to  supply  the  party. 
The  fish  caught  were,  the  Copper-Mine  Kiver  salmon, 
white  fish,  and  two  species  of  pleuronectes.  We  felt 
a  considerable  change  of  temperature  on  reaching  the 
sea-coast,  produced  by  the  winds  changing  from  the 
southward  to  the  N.  W.    Our  Canadian  voyagers  com- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


193 


plained  much  of  the  cold,  but  they  were  amused  with 
their  first  view  of  the  sea,  and  particularly  with  the 
sight  of  the  seals  that  were  swimming  about  near  the 
entrance  of  the  river,  but  these  sensations  gave  place 
to  despondency  before  the  evening  had  elapsed.  They  • 
were  terri^ed  at  the  idea  of  a  voyage  through  an  icy 
sea  in  bark  canoes.  They  speculated  on  the  length 
of  the  journey,  the  roughness  of  the  sea,  the  uncer- 
tainty of  provisions,  the  exposure  to  cold  where  we 
could  expect  no  fuel,  and  the  prospect  of  having  to 
traverse  the  barren  grounds  to  get  to  some  establish- 
ment. The  two  interpreters  expressed  their  appre- 
hensions with  the  least  disguise,  and  again  urgently 
applied  to  be  discharged  j  but  only  one  of  the  Cana- 
dians made  a  similar  request.  Judging  that  the  con-  1 
stant  occupation  of  their  time  as  soon  as  we  were  ena- 
bled to  commence  the  voyage,  would  prevent  them 
from  conjuring  up  so  many  causes  of  fear,  and  that 
familiarity  with  the  scenes  on  the  coast,  would  in  a 
short  time  enable  them  to  give  scope  to  their  natural 
cheerfulness,  the  officers  endeavored  to  ridicule  their 
fears,  and  happily  succeeded  for  the  present.  The 
manner  in  which  our  faithful  Hepburn  viewed  the  ele- 
ment that  he  had  been  so  long  accustomed  to,  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  make  them  ashamed  of  their 
fears. 
On  the  morning  of  the  19thj  Dr.  Richardson,  accom- 


19^ 


Thmy  Years     " 


panied  by  Augustus,  paid  another  visit  to  Terregan- 
noeuck,  to  see  if  he  could  obtain  any  additional  infor- 
mation respecting  the  country  to  the  eastward ;  but 
he  was  disappointed  at  finding  that  his  affrighted  fami- 
ly had  not  yet  rejoined  him,  and  the  old  man  could 
add  nothing  to  his  former  communication.  The  Doc- 
tor remarked  that  Terregannoeuck  had  a  great  dislike 
to  mentioning  the  name  of  the  Copper-Mine  Eiver, 
and  that  he  evaded  the  question  with  much  dexte;-ity 
as  often  as  it  was  put  to  him  ;  but  that  he  willlugly 
told  the  name  of  a  river  to  the  eastward,  and  also  of 
his  tribe.  He  attempted  to  persuade  Augustus  to  re- 
main with  him,  and  offered  him  one  of  his  daughters 
for  a  wife.  These  Esquimaux  strike  fire  with  two 
stones,  catching  the  sparks  in  the  down  of  the  catkins 
of  a  willow.  :  ' 

The  despatches  being  finished  were  delivered  this 
evening  to  Mr.  Wentzel,  who  parted  from  us  at  eight 
P.  M.  with  Parent,  Gagnier,  Dumas,  and  Forcier, 
Canadians,  whom  I  had  discharged  for  tbe  purpose  of 
reducing  our  expenditure  of  provisions  as  much  as 
possible.  The  remainder  of  the  party,  including 
officers,  amounted  to  twenty  persons.  I  made  Mr. 
Wentzel  acquainted  with  the  probable  course  of  our 
future  proceedings,  and  mentioned  to  him  that  if  we 
were  far  distant  from  this  river,  when  the  season  or 
other  circumstances  rendered  it  necessary  to  put  a  stop 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


195 


to  our  advance,  we  should,  in  all  probability,  be 
unable  to  return  to  it,  and  should  have  to  travel 
across  the  barren  grounds  towards  some  established 
post ;  in  which  case  I  told  him  that  we  should  cer- 
tainly go  first  to  Fort  Enterprize,  expecting  that  he 
would  cause  the  Indians  to  place  a  supply  of  dried 
provision  there,  as  soon  as  possible  after  their  arrival 
in  its  vicinity.  My  instructions  to  him  were,  that  he 
should  proceed  to  Point  Lake,  transport  the  canoe  that 
was  left  there  to  Fort  Enterprize,  where  he  was  to 
embark  the  instruments  and  books,  and  carry  them  to 
Slave  Lake,  and  to  forward  the  box  containing  the 
journals,  &c.,  with  the  present  despatches  by  the  next 
winter  packet  to  England.  But  before  he  quitted 
Fort  Enterprize,  he  was  to  be  assured  of  the  intention 
of  the  Indians  to  lay  up  the  provision  we  required, 
and  if  they  should  be  in  want  of  ammunition  for  that 
purpose,  to  procure  it  if  possible  from  Fort  Providence, 
or  the  other  forts  in  Slave  Lake,  and  send  it  imme- 
diately to  them  by  the  hunters  who  accompanied  him 
thither.  I  also  requested  him  to  ascertain  from 
Akaitcho  and  the  other  leading  Indians,  where  their 
different  parties  would  be  hunting  in  the  months  of 
September  and  October,  and  to  leave  this  information 
in  a  letter  at  Fort  Enterprize,  for  our  guidance  in 
finding  them,  as  we  should  require  their  assistance. 
Mr.  Wentzel  was  furnished  with  a  list  of  the  stores 


196 


Thirty   Years 


that  had  been  promised  to  Akaitcho  and  his  party  as 
a  remuneration  for  their  services,  as  well  as  with  an 
official  request  to  the  North-West  Company  that 
these  goods  might  be  paid  to  them  on  their  next  visit 
to  Fort  Providence,  which  they  expected  to  make  in 
the  latter  part  of  November.  I  desired  him  to  men- 
tion this  circumstance  to  the  Indians  as  an  encourage- 
ment to  their  exertion  in  our  behalf,  and  to  promise 
them  an  additional  reward  for  the  supply  of  provision 
they  should  collect  at  Fort  Enterprize. 

If  Mr.  Wentzel  met  the  Hook,  or  any  of  his  party, 
he  was  instructed  to  assure  them  that  he  was  provided 
with  the  necessary  documents  to  get  them  payment 
for  any  meat  they  should  put  en  cache  for  our  use ; 
and  to  acquaint  them,  that  we  fully  relied  on  their 
fulfilling  every  part  of  the  agreement  they  had  made 
with  us.  Whenever  the  Indians,  whom  he  was  to 
join  at  the  Copper  Mountains,  killed  any  animals  on 
their  way  to  Fort  Enterprize,  he  was  requested  to  put 
en  cacha  whatever  meat  could  be  spared,  placing  con- 
spicuous marks  to  guide  us  to  them ;  and  I  par- 
ticularly begged  he  would  employ  them  in  hunting 
in  our  service,  immediately  after  his  arrival  at  the 
house. 

When  Mr.  Wentzel's  party  had  been  supplied  with 
ammunition,  our  remaining  stock  consisted  of  one 
thoueand  balls,  and  a  little  more  than  the  requisite 


In  the  Arctic  Rcgiona, 


197 


proportion  of  powder.  A  bag  of  small  shot  was  miss- 
ing, and  wo  afterwards  discovered  that  the  Oanudians 
had  secreted  and  distributed  it  among  themselves,  in 
order  that  when  provision  should  become  scarce,  they 
might  privately  procure  ducks  and  geese,  and  avoid 
the  necessity  of  sharing  them  with  the  officers. 


t 
198 


Tliirty  Years 


CHAPTER   IX. 


3n\y'2\.  ^^  intended  to  have  embarked  early  this  morn- 
ing, and  to  have  launched  upon  an  element,  which 
was  more  congenial  with  our  habits  than  the  fresh- 
water navigations,  and  their  numerous  difficulties  and 
impediments  we  had  hitherto  encountered,  but  which 
was  altogether  new  to  our  Canadian  voyagers.  We 
were  detained,  however,  by  a  strong  north-east  gale, 
which  continued  the  whole  day,  with  constant  thunder 
showers ;  the  more  provoking  as  our  nets  procured 
but  few  fish,  and  we  had  to  draw  upon  our  store  of 
dried  meat ;  which,  with  other  provision  for  the  jour- 
ney, amounted  only  to  fifteen  days'  consumption. 
Indeed,  we  should  have  preferred  going  dinnerless  to 
bed  rather  than  encroach  on  our  small  stock,  had  wo 
not  been  desirous  of  satisfying  the  appetites,  and 
cheering  the  spirits  of  our  Canadian  companions  at 
the  commencement  of  our  voyage.  These  thoughtless 
people  would,  Ht  any  time,  incur  the  hazard  of  abso- 
lute starvation,  at  a  future  period,  for  the  present 
gratification  of  their  appetites  ;  to  indulge  which  they 


In  the  Arctic  Itcgiona. 


199 


do  not  hesitate,  as  wo  more  than  once  experienced, 
helping  themselves  secretly  ;  it  being,  in  their  opinion, 
no  disgrace  to  be  caught  in  the  act  of  pilfering  food. 

Our  only  luxury  now  was  a  little  salt,  which  had 
long  been  our  substitute  both  for  bread  and  vegetables. 
Since  our  departure  from  Point  Lake  we  had  boiled 
the  Indian  tea  plant,  ledum  palustrc,  which  produced 
a  beverage  in  smell  much  rcbembling  rhubarb ;  not- 
withstanding which  we  found  it  refreshing,  and  wero 
gratified  to  see  this  plant  flourishing  abundantly, 
though  of  dwarfish  growth,  on  the  sea-shore. 

July  21. — The  wind,  which  had  blown  strong 
through  the  night,  became  moderate  in  the  morning, 
but  a  dense  fog  prevented  us  from  embarking  until 
noon,  when  wo  commenced  our  voyage  on  the  Hyper- 
borean Sea.  Soon  afterwards  we  landed  on  an  island 
where  the  Esquimaux  had  erected  a  stage  of  drift 
timber,  and  stored  up  many  of  their  fishing  imple- 
ments and  winter  sledges,  together  with  a  great  many 
dressed  seal,  musk  ox,  and  deer  skins.  Their  spears 
headed  with  bone,  and  many  small  articles  of  the 
same  material,  were  worked  wiih  extreme  neatness,  as 
well  as  their  wooden  dishes,  and  cooking  utensils  of 
stone  ;  and  several  articles  very  elegantly  formed  of 
bone,  were  evidently  intended  for  some  gOtme,  but 
Augustus  was  unacquainted  with  their  use.  We  took 
from  this  deposit  four  seal- skins  to  repair  our  shoes, 


200 


Thirty  Years 


and  left  in  exchange  a  copper-kettle,  and  somb  awls 
and  beads. 

We  paddled  all  day  along  the  coa&t  to  the  east- 
ward, on  the  inside  of  a  crowded  range  of  islands,  and 
saw  very  little  ice  ;  the  "  blink"  of  it,  however,  was 
visible  to  the  northward,  and  one  small  iceberg  was 
seen  at  a  distance.  A  tide  was  distinguishable  among 
the  islands  by  the  foam  floating  on  the  water,  but  we 
could  not  ascertain  its  direction.  In  the  afternoon 
St.  Germain  killed,  on  an  island,  a  fat  deer,  which 
was  a  great  acquisition  to  us  ;  it  was  the  first  wo  had 
seen  for  some  months  in  good  condition. 

Having  encamped  on  the  main  shore,  after  a  run  of  ^ 
thirty-seven  miles,  we  set  up  a  polo  to  ascertain  tho 
rise  and  fall  of  the  water,  which  was  repeated  at  every 
halting-place,  and  Hepburn  was  ordered  to  attend  to 
the  result.  We  found  the  coast  well  covered  with 
vegetation,  of  moderate  height,  even  in  its  outline, 
and  easy  of  approach.  The  islands  are  rocky  and  bar- 
ren, presenting  high  cliffs  of  a  columnar  structure.  I 
have  named  the  westernmost  group  of  those  we  pass- 
ed "  Berens'  Isles,"  in  honor  of  the  Governor  of  tho 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  ;  and  the  easternmost,  "  Sir 
Graham  Moore's  Islands."  At  the  spot  where  we 
landed,  some  muscle- shells  and  a  single  piece  of  sea- 
weed lay  on  the  beach ;  this  was  the  only  spot  on 
the  coast  where  we  saw  shells.    We  were  rejoiced  to 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


201 


find  the  beach  strewed  with  abundance  of  small  drifts 
wood,  none  of  it  recent. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  the  Copper-Mine  River 
does  not  bring  down  any  drift-wood  ;  nor  does  any 
other  known  stream,  except  Mackenzie's  River ;  hence, 
from  its  appearance  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  an  east- 
erly current  may  be  inferred.  This  evening  we  were 
all  in  high  glee  at  the  progress  we  had  made ;  the 
disappearance  of  the  ice,  and  the  continuance  of  the 
land  in  an  eastern  direction,  and  our  future  prospects 
formed  an  enlivening  subject  of  conversation.  The 
thermometer  varied  during  the  day  between  43°  and 
45°.     The  fishing  nets  were  set,  but  produced  nothing. 

On  the  22d  we  embarked  at  four  A.M.,  and  having 
the  benefit  of  a  light  breeze  continued  our  voyage 
along  the  coast,  under  sail,  until  eleven,  when  we  halt- 
ed to  breakfast,  and  to  obtain  the  latitude.  The  coast 
up  to  this  point  presented  the  same  general  appear- 
ance as  yesterday,  namely,  a  gravelly  or  sandy  beach, 
skirted  by  green  plains  ;  but  as  we  proceeded,  tho 
shore  became  exceedingly  rocky  and  sterile ;  and,  at 
last,  projecting  considerably  to  the  northward,  it  form- 
ed a  high  and  steep  promontory.  Some  ice  had  drift- 
ed down  upon  this  capo,  which  wo  feared  might  check 
our  progress  ;  but,  as  the  evening  was  fine,  we  ven- 
tured upon  pushing  tho  canoes  through  the  small 
channels  formed  among  it.     After  pursuing  this  kind 


9« 


m 


202 


Thirty  Years 


of  navigation,  with  some  danger  and  more  anxiety,  we 
landed  and  encamped  on  a  smooth  rocky  point ;  from 
whence  we  perceived,  with  muctf^atisfaction,  that  the 
ice  consisted  only  of  detached  pieces,  which  would  be 
removed  by  the  first  breeze.  We  sounded  in  seven- 
teen fathoms,  close  to  the  shore,  this  day.  The  least 
depth  ascertained  by  the  lead,  since  our  departure 
from  the  river,  was  six  fathoms  ;  and  it  may  be  remark- 
ed, that  any  ship  might  pass  safely  between  the 
islands  and  the  main.  The  water  is  of  a  light  green 
color,  but  not  very  clear  ;  and  it  is  much  less  salt  than 
that  of  the  Atlantic,  judging  from  our  recollection  of 
its  taste.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  saw  geese  and 
ducks  with  their  young,  and  two  deer ;  and  experien- 
ced very  great  variations  of  temperature,  from  the 
light  breezes  blowing  alternately  from  the  ice  and  the 
land.  The  name  of  "  Lawford's  Islands"  was  bestow- 
ed on  a  group  we  passed  in  the  course  of  the  day,  as  a 
mark  of  my  respect  for  Vice- Admiral  Lawford,  under 
whose  auspices  I  first  entered  the  naval  service. 

A  fresh  breeze  blowing  through  the  night  had 
driven  the  ice  from  the  land,  and  opened  a  channel  of 
a  mile  in  width  ;  we  therefore  embarked  at  nine  A.M. 
to  pursue  our  journey  along  the  coast,  but  at  the  dis- 
tance of  nine  miles  were  obliged  to  seek  shelter  in 
Port  Epworth,  the  wind  having  become  adverse,  and 
too  strong  to  admit  of  our  proceeding.    The  Tree 


m 


In  the  Arctic  Hegtons. 


203 


Eivor  of  the  EHquimaux,  which  discharges  its  waters 
into  this  bay,  appears  to  bo  narrow,  and  much  inter- 
rupted by  rapids.  The  fishing-nets  were  set,  but  they 
obtained  only  one  white  fish  and  a  few  bull-heads. 
This  part  of  the  coast  is  the  most  sterile  and  inhospi- 
table that  can  be  imagined.  One  trap  cliff  succeeds 
another  with  a  tiresome  uniformity,  and  their  debris 
cover  the  narrow  valleys  that  intervene,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  every  kind  of  herbage.  From  the  summit  of 
these  cliffa  the  ice  appeared  in  every  direction. 

The  wind  abating,  at  eight  P.M.  we  re-embarked, 
and  soon  afterwards  discovered,  on  an  island,  a  rein- 
deer, which  the  interpreters  fortunately  killed.  Re- 
suming our  voyage  we  were  much  impeded  by  the  ice, 
and,  at  length,  being  unable  to  force  a  passage  through 
a  close  stream  that  had  collected  round  a  cape,  we 
put  ashore  at  four  A.M.  On  the  24th,  several  stone 
fox-traps,  and  other  traces  of  the  Esquimaux,  were 
seen  near  to  the  encampment.  The  horizontal  refrac- 
tion varied  so  much  this  morning,  that  the  upper 
limb  of  the  sun  twice  appeared  at  the  horizon  before 
it  finally  rose. 

For  the  last  two  days  the  water  rose  and  fell  about 
nine  inches.  The  tides,  however,  seemed  to  be  very 
irregular,  and  we  could  not  determine  the  direction  of 
the  ebb  or  flood.  A  current  setting  to  the  eastward 
was  running  about  two  miles  an  hour  during  our  stay. 


204 


Thirty  Years 


The  ice  having  removed  a  short  distance  from  the 
shore,  by  eleven  A.M.  we  embarked,  and  with  some 
difficulty  effected  a  passage  ;  then  making  a  traverse 
across  Gray's  Bay,  we  paddled  up  under  the  eastern 
shore  against  a  strong  wind.  The  interpreters  landed 
here,  and  went  in  pursuit  of  a  deer,  but  had  no  suc- 
cess. This  part  of  the  coast  is  indented  by  deep  bays, 
which  are  separated  by  peninsulas  formed  like  wedges, 
slopino'  many  miles  into  the  sea,  and  joined  by  low 
land  to  the  main  ;  so  that  often  mistaking  them  for 
islands,  we  were  led  by  a  circuitous  route  round  the 
bays.  Cliffs  were  numerous  on  the  islands,  which 
were  all  of  the  trap  formation. 

At  seven,  a  thunder-storm  coming  on,  we  encamped 
at  the  mouth  of  a  river  about  eighty  yards  wide,  and 
set  four  nets.  This  stream,  which  has  received  the 
name  of  Wentzel,  after  our  late  companion,  discharges 
a  considerable  body  of  water.  Its  banks  are  sandy 
and  clothed  with  herbage.  The  Esquimaux  had  re- 
cently piled  up  some  drift  timber  here.  A  few  ducks, 
ravens,  and  snow  birds,  were  seen  to-day.  The  dis- 
tance we  made  was  thirty-one  miles. 

July  25. — We  had  constant  rain  with  thunder  dur- 
ing the  night.  The  nets  furnished  only  three  salmon- 
trout.  We  attributed  the  want  of  greater  success  to 
the  entrance  of  some  seals  into  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
Embarking  at  six  A.M.,  we  paddled  against  a  cold 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


205 


breeze,  until  the  spreading  of  a  thick  fog  caused  us  to 
land.  The  rocks  here  consisted  of  a  beautiful  mixture 
of  red  and  gray  granite,  traversed  from  north  to  south 
by  veins  of  red  felspar,  which  were  crossed  in  various 
directions  by  smaller  veins  filled  with  the  same  sub- 
stance. 

At  noon  the  wind  coming  from  a  favorable  quarter 
tempted  us  to  proceed,  although  the  fog  was  unabated. 
We  kept  as  close  as  we  could  to  the  main  shore,  but 
having  to  cross  some  bays,  it  became  a  matter  of 
doubt  whether  we  had  not  left  the  main,  and  were 
running  along  an  island.  Just  as  we  were  endeavor- 
ing to  double  a  bold  cape,  the  fog  partially  cleared 
away,  and  allowed  us  an  imperfect  view  of  a  chain  of 
islands  on  the  outside,  and  of  much  heavy  ice  which 
was  pressing  down  upon  us.  The  shore  near  us  was 
so  steep  and  rugged  that  no  landing  of  the  cargoes 
could  be  effected,  and  we  were  preserved  only  by  some 
men  jumping  on  the  rocks,  and  thrusting  the  ice  off 
with  poles.  There  was  no  alternative  but  to  continue 
along  this  dreary  shore,  seeking  a  channel  between  the 
different  masses  of  ice  which  had  accumulated  at  the 
various  points.  In  this  operation  both  the  canoes 
were  in  imminent  danger  of  being  crushed  by  the  ice, 
which  was  now  tossed  about  by  the  waves  that  the 
gale  had  excited.  We  effected  a  passage,  however, 
and  keeping  close  to  the  shore,  landed  at  the  entrance 


206 


Thirty  Tears 


of  Detention  Harbor  at  nine  P.  M.,  having  come 
twenty-eight  miles.  An  old  Esquimaux  encampment 
was  traced  on  this  spot ;  and  an  ice  chisel,  a  copper 
knife,  and  a  small  iron  knife  were  found  under  the 
turf.  I  have  named  this  cape  after  Mr.  Barrow  of  the 
Admiralty,  to  whose  exertions  are  mainly  owing  the 
discoveries  that  have  recently  been  made  in  Arctic 
geography.  An  opening  on  its  eastern  side  has  re- 
ceived the  appellation  of  Inman  Harbor,  after  my 
friend  the  Professor  at  the  Royal  Naval  College, 
Portsmouth  ;  and  to  a  group  of  islands  to  seaward  of 
it,  we  gave  the  name  of  Jameson,  in  honor  of  the  dis- 
tinguished Professor  of  Mineralogy  at  Edinburgh. 

We  had  much  wind  and  rain  during  the  night,  and 
by  the  morning  of  the  26th  a  great  deal  of  ice  had 
drifted  into  the  inlet.  We  embarked  at  four  and  at- 
tempted to  force  a  passage,  when  the  first  canoe  got 
enclosed,  and  remained  for  some  time  in  a  very  peril- 
ous situation  ;  the  pieces  of  ice,  crowded  together  by 
the  action  of  the  current  and  wind,  pressing  strongly 
against  its  feeble  sides.  A  partial  opening,  however, 
occurring,  we  landed  without  having  sustained  any 
serious  injury.  Two  men  were  then  sent  round  the 
bay,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  instead  of  having 
entered  a  narrow  passage  between  an  island  and  the 
main,  we  were  at  the  mouth  of  a  harbor,  having  an 
island  at  its  entrance  ;  and  that  it  was  necessary  to 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


207 


return  by  the  way  we  came,  and  get  round  a  point  to 
the  northward.  This  was,  however,  impracticable, 
the  channel  being  blocked  up  by  drift  ice ;  and  we 
had  no  prospect  of  release  except  by  a  change  of  wind. 
This  detention  was  extremely  vexatious,  as  we  were 
losing  the  benefit  of  a  fair  wind,  and  expending  our 
stock  of  provision.  In  the  afternoon  the  weather 
cleared  up,  and  several  men  went  hunting,  but  they 
were  unsuccessful.  During  the  day  the  ice  floated 
backwards  and  forwards  in  the  harbor,  moved  by  cur- 
rents, not  regular  enough  to  deserve  the  name  of  tide, 
and  which  appeared  to  be  governed  by  the  wind.  We 
perceived  great  diminution  by  melting  in  the  pieces 
near  us.  That  none  of  this  ice  survives  the  summer 
is  evident,  from  the  rapidity  of  its  decay  ;  and  because 
no  ice  of  last  year's  formation  was  hanging  on  the 
rocks.  Whether  any  body  of  it  exists  at  a  distance 
from  the  shore,  w^  cannot  determine. 

The  land  around  Cape  Barrow,  and  to  Detention 
Harbor,  consists  of  steep  craggy  mountains  of  granite 
rising  so  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge,  as  to  admit 
of  few  landing  places  even  for  a  canoe.  The  higher 
parts  attain  an  elevation  of  one  thousand  four  hundred 
or  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet ;  and  the  whole  is 
entirely  destitute  of  vegetation. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  the  ice  remained 
stationary  at  the  entrance  ;  we  went  to  the  bottom  of 


2(^8 


Thirty    Ycai'S 


tho  harbor,  and  carried  tlio  canoes  and  cargoes  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  across  the  point  of  land  that  forms 
tho  east  side  of  it ;  but  the  ice  was  not  more  favor- 
able there  for  our  advancement  than  at  the  place  wo 
had  left.  It  consisted  of  small  pieces  closely  packed 
together  by  the  wind  extending  along  tho  shore,  but 
leaving  a  clear  passage  beyond  the  chain  of  islands 
with  which  tho  whole  of  this  coast  is  girt.  Indeed, 
when  we  started  we  had  Uttle  hope  of  finding  a  pas- 
sage ;  and  the  principal  object  in  moving  was,  to  em- 
ploy the  men,  in  order  to  prevent  their  reflecting  upon 
and  discussing  tho  dangers  of  our  situation,  which  wo 
knew  they  wore  too  apt  to  do  when  leisure  jjermitted. 
Our  observations  place  the  entrance  of  Detention 
Harbor  in  latitude  67°  53'  45",  longitude  110°  41' 
20"  W.,  variation  40«^  49'  34"  E.  It  is  a  secure 
anchorage,  being  sheltered  from  tho  wind  in  every  di- 
rection ;  the  bottom  is  sandy. 

July  28. — As  the  ice  continued  in  tho  same  state, 
several  of  the  men  were  sent  out  to  hunt ;  and  one  of 
them  fired  no  less  than  four  times  at  deer,  but  un- 
fortunately without  -success.  It  was  satisfactory, 
however,  to  ascerti§h  that  the  country  was  not  desti- 
tute of  animals.  We  had  the  mortification  to  dis- 
cover that  two  of  the  bags  of  pemmican,  which  was 
our  principal  reliance,  had  become  mouldy  by  wet. 
Our  beef,  too,  had  been  so  badly  cured,  as  to  bo 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


209 


scarcely  eatable ;  this  was  occasioned  by  our  having 
been  compelled,  through  haste,  to  dry  it  by  fire  instead 
of  the  sun.  It  was  not,  however,  the  quality  of  our 
provision  that  gave  us  uneasiness,  but  its  diminution, 
and  the  utter  incapacity  to  obtain  any  addition.  Seals 
were  the  only  animals  that  met  our  view  at  this  place, 
and  these  we  could  never  approach. 

Dr.  Kichardson  discovered  near  the  beach  a  small 
vein  of  galena,  traversing  gneiss  rocks,  and  the  people 
collected  a  quantity  of  it  in  the  hope  of  adding  to  our 
stock  of  balls  ;  but  their  endeavors  to  smelt  it,  were, 
as  may  be  supposed,  ineffectual.  The  drift  timber  on 
this  part  of  the  coast  consists  of  pine  and  tacca  mahac, 
(populus  balsami/era)  most  probably  from  Macken- 
zie's, or  some  other  river  to  the  eastward  of  the  Cop- 
per-Mine. It  all  appears  to  have  lain  long  in  the 
water,  the  bark  being  completely  worn  ofi',  and  the  % 
ends  of  the  pieces  rubbed  perfectly  smooth.  There 
was  a  sharp  frost  last  night,  which  formed  a  pretty 
thick  crust  of  ice  in  a  kettle  of  water  that  stood  in  the 
tents  ;  and  for  several  nights  past  thin  films  of  ice 
have  been  formed  on  the  salt  water  amongst  the  cakes 
of  stream  ice.*  Notwithstanding  this  state  of  tem- 
perature, we  were  tormented  by  swaims  of  musqui- 
toes ;  we  had  persuaded  ourselves  that  these  pests 
could  not  sustain  the  cold  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea, 

*  This  is  termed  bat/  ice  by  the  Greenland-men. 


SIO 


Thirty  Yeurt 


but  it  appoftiti  ihoy  Imunt  ovory  part  of  this  country 
in  dclknco  of  cliniiit<>.  Mr.  Buck  nmilo  m\  pxctirnion 
to  A  liill  nt  wxcn  or  oi|];ht  niilcN  (iimtanoc,  tind  from  itii 
nunimtt  ho  perceived  the  ico  close  to  the  Bhoro  as  fUr 
AS  his  view  extended. 

On  the  niorning  of  the  29th  the  party  Attended  di- 
vine service.  About  noon  the  ico  appearinnj  h^ss  com- 
jmct,  we  emburked  to  ch»mgo  our  sitiiation,  having 
consumed  aU  the  iViel  within  our  ivach.  The  wind 
CAn\e  olV  the  hind  just  as  the  cnnoes  had  sturtcd,  And 
wo  determined  on  Attempting  to  force  a  passnge along 
the  shot^  ;  in  which  we  fortunately  succeeded,  after 
seven  hours'  labor  and  much  hapiartl  to  o\ir  frAil  ves- 
sels. The  ice  lay  so  close  that  the  citnvs  disembarked 
on  it>  And  edJected  a  jmsjsage  by  bearing  against  tho 
pieces  with  their  poles  ;  but  in  conducting  the  canoes 
through  tho  narrow  chAunels  thus  foruu»d,  tho  grcAt- 
e«t  OAixi  WAS  requisite,  to  prevent  the  sliarp  projecting 
[wints  (mm  breaking  tho  bark.  They  fortunately  re- 
ceived no  material  ii^ury,  though  they  wero  split  in 
two  places. 

At  tlie  distunco  of  three  miles,  we  came  to  tne  en- 
trance of  A  deep  l)Ay,  whose  bottom  was  filled  by  a 
body  of  ice  so  com^mct  as  to  preclude  the  idoA  of  a 
l>AssAgo  through  it ;  whilst  At  the  same  time,  tho  tra- 
verse across  it«  mouth  was  attended  with  much  dan- 
ger, from  the  approach  of  a  large  field  of  ico,  which 


Tn  thti  Ardw  tlrgwrtH, 


211 


WftH  driving  down  \m[\)Xk\  tlio  witul.  Tlio  drutul  of  fur- 
thor  doUniiion,  howovor,  pnivc'titod  uh  from  hnnitiitiri^  ; 
nnd  wn  Imd  ihn  HnliHfiiotion  of  liuidin;,;  in  an  lionr  iitid 
ii  Imlf  on  iho  ojipoHito  whoro,  wlinro  wo  liiiliod  to  rc- 
))ivir  tlin  oiinooM  and  to  dino.  I  hnvo  niuncd  thin  bay 
nftnr  my  friend  Mr.  Dani(d  Mooro  of  Linooln'n  Inn  ; 
to  whoHo  y.oal  for  scionoo,  the  Expedition  wai  indebt- 
ed for  the  use  of  a  most  valuablo  olironometor.  ItH 
Hlioros  are  piotiiromino  ;  Rloping  hills  Kicoding  from 
the  boftch,  and  clothed  with  vordiiro,  bound  its  bot- 
tom and  western  side  ;  and  lofty  cliffs  of  slato  clay, 
with  their  intervening  grassy  valleys,  skirt  its  eastern 
border.  I'jmbarking  at  midnight,  wo  imrsucd  oiir  voy- 
age without  interruption,  passing  between  the  Stock- 
port and  Marcot  Islands  and  the  main,  until  six  A.M. 
on  July  30th  ;  when  having  rounded  Point  Kater,  we 
entered  Arctic  Sound,  and  were  again  involved  in  a 
stream  of  ice,  but  after  considerable  delay  extricated 
ourselves,  and  proceeded  towards  tho  bottom  of  the 
inlet  in  search  of  the  mouth  of  a  river,  which  we  sup- 
posed it  to  receive,  from  tho  change  in  tho  color  of 
tho  water. 

About  ton  A.M.  wo  landed,  to  breakfast  on  a  small 
deer  which  St.  Germain  had  killed  ;  and  sent  men  in 
pursuit  of  some  others  in  sight,  but  with  which  they 
did  not  como  up.  Ro-embarking,  we  passed  the  river 
without  perceiving  it,  and  entered  a  deep  arm  of  tho 


*» 


212 


Thirty  Years 


sound  ;  which  I  have  named  Baillie's  Cove,  in  honor 
of  a  relative  of  the  lamented  Mr.  Hood.  As  it  was 
too*late  to  return,  we  encamped,  and  by  walking  across 
the  country,  discovered  the  river,  whose  mouth  being 
barred  by  low  sandy  islands  and  banks,  was  not  per- 
ceived when  we  passed  it.  Course  and  distance  from 
Galena  Point  to  this  encampment,  were  S.E.|S. — 
forty-one  miles. 

From  the  accounts  of  Black-moat  and  Boileau  at 
Fort  Chipewyan,  we  considered  this  river  to  be  the 
Anatessy ;  and  Cape  Barrow  to  be  the  projection 
which  they  supposed  to  be  the  N.E.  termination  of 
America.  The  outline  of  the  coast,  indeed,  bears 
some  resemblanco  to  the  chart  they  sketched  ;  and 
the  distance  of  this  river  from  the  Copper-Mine,  nearly 
coincides  with  w4at  we  estimated  the  Anatessy  to  be, 
from  their  statements.  In  our  subsequent  journey, 
however,  across  the  barren  grounds,  we  ascertained 
that  this  conjecture  was  wrong,  and  that  the  Anatessy, 
which  is  known  to  come  from  Bum  Lake,  must  fall 
into  the  sea  to  the  eastward  of  this  place. 

Our  stock  of  provision  being  now  reduced  to  eight 
days'  consumption,  it  had  become  a  matter  of  the  first 
importance  to  obtain  a  supply  ;  and  as  we  had  learned 
from  Terregannoeuck  that  the  Esquimaux  frequent 
the  rivers  at  this  season,  I  determined  on  seeking  a 
communication  with  them  here,  with  the  view  of  ob- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


213 


taining  relief  for  our  present  wants,  or  even  shelter  for 
the  winter,  if  the  season  should  prevent  us  from  re- 
turning cither  to  the  Hook's  party,  or  Fort  Enterprize  ; 
and  I  was  the  more  induced  to  take  this  step  at  this 
time,  as  several  deer  had  been  seen  to-day,  and  the 
river  appeared  good  for  fishing  ;  which  led  me  to  hope 
we  might  support  the  party  during  our  stay,  if  not 
add  to  our  stock  by  our  own  exertions  in  hunting  and 
fiahing.  Augustus,  Junius,  and  Hepburn,  wore  there- 
fore furnished  with  the  necessary  presents,  and  desired 
to  go  along  the  bank  of  the  river  as  far  as  they  could, 
on  the  following  day,  in  search  of  the  natives,  to  ob- 
tain provision  and  leather,  as  well  as  information 
respecting  the  coast. 

They  started  at  four  A.M.,  and  at  the  same  time 
our  hunters  were  sent  off  in  search  of  deer  ;  and  the 
rest  of  the  party  proceeded  in  the  canoes  to  the  first 
cascade  in  the  river,  at  the  foot  of  which  we  encamped, 
and  set  four  nets.  This  cascade,  produced  by  a  ridge 
of  rocks  crossing  the  stream,  is  about  three  or  four 
feet  in  height,  and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
wide.  Its  position  by  our  observations  is  latitude  67 '^ 
19'  23"  N.,  longitude  109^  44'  30"  W.,  variation  41° 
43'  22',  dip  88°  58'  48".  I  have  named  this  river  Hood, 
as  a  small  tribute  to  the  memory  of  our  lamented 
friend  and  companion.  It  is  from  three  to  four  hun- 
dred yards  wide  below  the  cascade,  but  it  is  in  many 


■f 


•** 


214 


Tliirty  Years 


places  very  shallow.  The  banks,  bottom,  and  adja- 
cent hills,  are  formed  of  a  mixture  of  sand  and  clay. 
The  ground  was  overspread  with  small  willows  and  the 
dwarf  birch,  both  too  diminutive  for  fuel ;  and  the 
stream  brought  down  no  drift  wood.  We  were  morti- 
fied to  find  the  nets  only  procured  one  salmon  and 
five  white  fish,  and  that  we  had  to  make  another  in- 
road upon  our  dried  meat. 

August  1. — At  two  this  morning  the  hunters  re- 
turned with  two  small  deer  and  a  brown  bear.  Au- 
gustus and  Junius  arrived  at  the  same  time,  having 
traced  the  river  twelve  miles  further  up,  without  dis- 
covering any  vestige  of  inhabitants.  We  had  now 
an  opportunity  of  gratifying  our  curiosity  respecting 
the  bear  so  much  dreaded  by  the  Indians,  and  of  whose 
strength  and  ferocity  we  had  heard  such  terrible  ac- 
counts. It  proved  to  be  a  lean  male  of  a  yellowish 
brown  color,  and  not  longer  than  a  common  black 
bear.  It  made  a  feeble  attempt  to  defend  itself,  and 
was  easily  despatched.  The  flesh  was  brought  to  the 
tent,  but  our  fastidious  voyagers  supposing,  from  its 
leanness,  the  animal  had  been  sickly,  declined  eating 
it ;  the  officers,  however,  being  less  scrupulous,  boiled 
the  paws,  and  found  them  excellent 

We  embarked  at  ten  A.M.,  and  proceeding  down 
the  river,  took  on  board  another  deer  that  had  been 
killed  by  Credit  last  evening.     We  then  ran  along 


*-JK^ 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


215 


-;;% 


the  eastern  shore  of  Arctic  Sound,  distinguislied  by 
th^  name  of  Bank's  Peninsula,  in  honor  of  the  late 
Right  Honorable  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  President  of  the 
Royal  Society  ;  and  rounding  Point  Wollaston  at  its 
eastern  extremity,  opened  another  extensive  sheet  of 
water ;  and  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  was  spent 
in  endeavoring  to  ascertain,  from  the  tops  of  the  hills, 
whether  it  was  another  bay,  or  merely  a  passage  en- 
closed by  a  chain  of  islands.  Appearances  rather 
favoring  the  latter  opinion,  we  determined  on  proceed- 
ing through  it  to  the  southward.  During  the  delay 
four  more  deer  were  killed,  all  young  and  lean.  It 
appears  that  the  coast  is  pretty  well  frequented  by 
reindeer  at  this  season  ;  but  it  is  rather  singular,  that 
, '  hitherto  we  have  killed  none  (excepting  the  first)  but 
young  ones  of  last  season,  which  were  all  too  lean  to 
have  been  eaten  by  any  but  persons  who  had  no  choice. 
We  paddled  along  the  western  shore  with  the  inten- 
tion of  encamping,  but  were  prevented  from  the  want 
of  drift  wood  on  the  beach.  This  induced  us  to  make 
a  traverse  to  an  island,  where  we  put  up  at  midnight, 
having,  found  a  small  bay,  whose  shores  furnished  us 
with  a  little  fire-wood.  A  heavy  gale  came  on  from 
the  westward,  attended  wiih  constant  rain,  and  one  of 
the  squalls  overthrew  our  tents.  The  course  and  dis- 
tance made  to-day  were  north-east  sixteen  miles  and 
a  half.    I  may  hero  mention,  that  Arctic  Sound  ap- 


216 


Thirty  Years 


pears  to  be  the  most  convenient,  and  perhaps  the  best, 
place  for  ships  to  anchor  that  we  have  seen  along  the 
coast ;  at  this  season  especially,  when  they  might  in- 
crease their  stock  of  provision,  if  provided  with  good 
marksmen.  Deer  are  numerous  in  its  vicinity,  musk- 
oxen  also  may  be  found  up  Hood's  Eiver,  and  the  fine 
sandy  bottom  of  the  bays  promise  favorably  for  fishing 
with  the  seine.  The  hills  on  the  '^estern  side  are 
even  in  their  outline  and  slope  gradually  to  the  water's 
edge.  The  rocks  give  place  to  an  alluvial  sandy  soil, 
towards  the  bottom  of  the  sound  ;  but  on  Banks' 
Peninsula  rocky  eminences  again  prevail,  which  are 
rugged  and  uneven,  but  they  are  intersected  by  val- 
leys, now  green  ;  along  their  base  is  a  fine  sandy  beach. 
From  Point  Wollaston  to  our  present  encampment  the 
coast  is  skirted  with  trap  clifis,  which  have  often  a 
columnar  form,  and  are  very  difficult  of  access.  These 
clifis  lie  in  ranges  parallel  to  the  shore,  and  the  deer 
that  we  killed  were  feeding  in  small  marshy  grassy 
plats  that  lie  in  the  valleys  between  them. 

Being  detained  by  the  continuance  of  the  gale,  on 
the  2d  of  August  some  men  were  sent  out  to  hunt, 
and  the  officers  visited  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills, 
to  ascertain  the  best  channels  to  be  pursued.  The 
wind  abating  at  ten  P.M.,  we  embarked  and  paddled 
round  the  southern  end  of  the  island,  and  continued 
our  course  to  the  south-east.     Much  doubt  at  this 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


217 


time  prevailed  as  to  the  land  on  the  right  heing  the 
main  shore,  or  merely  a  chain  of  islands.  The  latter 
opinion  was  strengthened  by  the  broken  appearance 
of  the  land,  and  the  extensive  view  we  had  up  Brown's 
Channel,  (named  after  my  friend  Mr.  Eobert  Brown,) 
the  mouth  of  which  we  passed,  and  were  in  some  ap- 
prehension of  being  led  away  from  the  main  shore ; 
and,  perhaps,  after  passing  through  a  group  of  islands, 
of  coming  to  a  traverse  greater  than  we  durst  venture 
upon  in  canoes.  On  the  other  hand,  the  continuous 
appearance  of  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  chan- 
nel, and  its  tending  to  the  southward,  produced  a  fear 
that  we  were  entering  a  deep  inlet. 

In  this  state  of  doubt  we  landed  often,  and  endea- 
vored, from  the  summits  of  the  highest  hills  adjoining 
the  shore,  to  ascertain  the  true  nature  of  the  coast,  but 
in  vain,  and  we  continued  paddling  through  the  chan- 
nel all  night  against  a  fresh  breeze,  which,  at  half  past 
four,  increased  to  a  violent  gale,  and  compelled  us  to 
land.  The  gale  diminished  a  short  time  after  noon 
on  the  3d,  and  permitted  us  to  re-embark  and  continue 
oi^r  voyage  until  four  P.M.,  when  it  returned  with  its 
former  violence,  and  finally  obliged  us  to  encamp,  hav- 
ing come  twenty-four  miles  on  a  south-east  three-quar- 
ter south  course. 

From  the  want  of  drift  wood  to  make  a  fire  we  had 

fasted  all  day,  and  were  under  the  necessity,  in  the 

10 


218 


Thirty  Years 


evening,  of  serving  out  pemmican,  which  was  done 
with  much  reluctance,  especially  as  we  had  some  fresh 
deers'  meat  remaining.  The  inlet,  when  viewed  from 
a  high  hill  adjoining  to  our  encampment,  exhibited  so 
many  arms,  that  the  course  we  ought  to  pursue  was 
more  uncertain  than  ever.  It  was  absolutely  necessary, 
however,  to  see  the  end  of  it  before  we  could  deter- 
mine that  it  was  not  a  strait.  Starting  at  three  A.M., 
on  the  4th,  we  paddled  the  whole  day  through  chan- 
nels, from  two  to  five  or  six  miles  wide,  all  tending  to 
the  southward.  In  the  course  of  the  day's  voyage  we 
ascertained,  that  the  land  which  we  had  seen  on  our 
right  hand  since  yesterday  morning,  consisted  of  sev- 
eral large  islands,  which  have  been  distinguished  by 
the  names  of  Goulbum,  Elliot,  and  Young  ;  but  the 
land  on  our  left  preserved  its  unbroken  appearance, 
and  when  we  encamped,  we  were  still  uncertain  whe- 
ther it  was  the  eastern  side  of  a  deep  sound  or  merely 
a  large  island.  It  differed  remarkably  from  the  main 
shore,  being  very  rugged,  rocky,  and  sterile,  whereas 
the  outline  of  the  main  on  the  opposite  side  was  even, 
and  its  hills  covered  with  a  comparatively  good  sward 
of  grass,  and  exhibited  little  naked  rock.  There  was 
no  drift  timber,  but  the  shores  near  the  encampment 
were  strewed  with  small  pieces  of  willow,  which  indi- 
cated our  vicinity  to  the  mouth  of  a  river.  This  fuel 
enabled  us  to  make  a  hearty  supper  off  a  small  deer 
killed  this  evening. 


The 

shoals  < 

It  was 

frequen 

eating. 

east  hal 

After 

5  th,  we 

nated  bj 

certain, 

have  nar 

ship  for 

for  the  ; 

success  0] 

had  seen 

tion  of  t 

returninor 

latter  pro 

tion ;  anc 

fat  meat  i 

We  em 

set  the  ne 

on  the  hi 

flesh,  whic 

on  the  coa 

during  the 

of  fish,   n 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


219 


The  shallows  we  passed  to-day  were  covered  with 
shoals  of  capelin,  the  angmaggoeiik  of  the  Esquimaux. 
It  was  known  to  Augustus,  who  informed  us  that  it 
frequents  the  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  is  delicate 
eating.  The  course  and  distance  made  was,  south  by 
east  half  east,  thirty-three  miles. 

After  paddling  twelve  miles  in  the  morning  of  tho 
5th,  we  had  the  mortification  to  find  the  inlet  termi- 
nated by  a  river  ;  the  size  of  which  we  could  not  as- 
certain, as  the  entrance  was  blocked  by  shoals.  I 
have  named  this  stream  Back,  as  a  mark  of  my  friend- 
ship for  my  associate.  We  were  somewhat  consoled 
for  the  loss  of  time  in  exploring  this  inlet,  by  the 
success  of  Junius  in  killing  a  musk-ox,  the  first  we 
had  seen  on  the  coast ;  and  afterwards  by  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  flesh  of  a  bear,  that  was  shot  as  we  were 
returning  up  the  eastern  side  in  the  evening.  The 
latter  proved  to  be  a  female,  in  very  excellent  condi- 
tion ;  and  our  Canadian  voyagers,  whose  appetite  for 
fat  meat  is  insatiable,  were  delighted. 

We  encamped  on  the  shores  of  a  .sandy  bay,  and 
set  the  nets  ;  and  finding  a  quantity  of  dried  willows 
on  tho  beach,  we  were  enabled  to  cook  the  bear's 
flesh,  which  was  superior  to  any  meat  we  had  tasted 
on  the  coast.  The  water  fell  two  feet  at  this  place 
during  the  night.  Our  nets  produced  a  great  variety 
of  fish,  namely,  a  salmon- trout,  some   round  fish, 


220 


Tlitrty  Years 


tittameg,  bleak,  star-fish,  several  herrings,  and  a  flat 
fish  resembling  plaice,  but  covered  on  the  back  with 
horny  excrescences. 

On  the  6th  we  were  detained  in  the  encampment  by 
stormy  weather  until  five  P.M.,  when  wo  embarked 
and  paddled  along  the  northern  shore  of  the  inlet ; 
the  weather  still  continuing  foggy,  but  the  wind  mod- 
erate. Observing  on  the  beach  a  she  bear  with  three 
young  ones,  we  landed  a  party  to  attack  them  ;  but, 
being  approached  without  due  caution,  they  took  the 
alarm  and  scaled  a  precipitous  rocky  hill,  with  a 
rapidity  that  baffled  all  pursuit.  At  eight  o'clock, 
the  fog  changing  into  rain,  we  encamped.  Many 
seals  were  seen  to-day,  but  as  they  kept  in  deep  water 
we  did  not  fire  at  them. 

On  August  7th  the  atmosphere  was  charged  with 
fog  and  rain  all  the  day,  but  as  the  wind  was  moderate, 
we  pursued  our  journey  ;  our  situation,  however,  was 
very  unpleasant,  being  quite  wet  and  without  room  to 
stretch  a  limb,  much  less  to  obtain  warmth  by  exer- 
cise. We  passed  a  cove,  which  I  have  named  after 
my  friend  Mr.  W.  H.  Tinney ;  and  proceeded  along 
the  coast  until  five  P.M.,  when  we  put  up  on  a  rocky 
point  nearly  opposite  to  our  encampment  on  the  3d, 
having  come  twenty-three  miles  on  a  north-north-west 
course. 

We  were  detained  on  the  8th  by  a  riorlnerly  gale. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


221 


whicli  blew  violently  throughout  the  day,  attended 
by  fog  and  rain.  Some  of  the  men  went  out  to  hunt, 
but  they  saw  no  other  animal  than  a  white  wolf,  which 
could  not  be  approached.  The  fresh  meat  being  ex- 
pended, a  little  pemmican  was  served  out  this  evening. 

The  gale  abated  on  the  morning  of  the  9  th  ;  and 
the  sea,  which  it  had  raised,  having  greatly  subsided, 
we  embarked  at  seven  A.M.,  and  after  paddling  three 
or  four  miles,  opened  Sir  J.  A.  Gordon's  Bay,  into 
which  we  penetrated  thirteen  miles,  and  then  dis- 
covered from  the  summit  of  a  hill  that  it  would  be 
vain  to  proceed  in  this  direction,  in  search  of  a  passage 
out  of  the  inlet. 

Our  breakfast  diminished  our  provision  to  two  bags 
of  pemmican,  and  a  single  meal  of  dried  meat.  The 
men  began  to  apprehend  absolute  want  of  food,  and 
we  had  to  listen  to  their  gloomy  forebodings  of  the 
deer  entirely  quitting  the  coast  in  a  few  days.  As  we 
were  embarking,  however,  a  large  bear  was  discovered 
on  the  opposite  shore,  which  we  had  the  good  fortune 
to  kill ;  and  the  sight  of  this  fat  meat  relieved  their 
fears  for  the  •present.  Dr.  Eichardson  found  in  the 
stomach  of  this  animal  the  remains  of  a  seal,  several 
marmots,  a  large  quantity  of  the  liquorice  root  of 
Mackenzie,  which  is  common  on  these  shores,  and 
some  berries.  There  was  also  intermixed  with  these 
substances  a  small  quantity  of  grass. 


222 


Thirty  Years 


Wo  got  again  into  tho  main  inlut,  and  paddled 
along  its  oastorn  shore  until  forty  niinntoR  after  eight 
A.M.)  when  wo  encamped  in  a  small  cove.  Wo  found 
a  single  log  of  drift  wood  ;  it  was  pine,  and  sufHuient- 
ly  largo  to  enable  us  to  cook  a  portion  of  tho  bear, 
which  had  a  slight  fishy  taste,  but  was  deemed  very 
palatable. 

Aufjfust  10. — Wo  followed  up  the  cast  border  of 
tho  inlet  about  twenty-four  miles,  and  at  length  emer- 
ged into  tho  open  sea  ;  a  body  of  islands  to  the  west- 
ward concealing  tho  channel  by  which  we  had  entered. 
Hero  our  progress  was  arrested  by  returning  bad  wea- 
ther. Wo  killed  a  bear  and  its  young  cub  of  this 
year,  on  tho  beach  near  to  our  encampment.  Wo 
heartily  congratulated  ourselves  at  having  arrived  at 
tlio  eastern  entrance  of  this  inlet,  which  had  cost  us 
nine  invaluable  days  in  exploring.  It  contains  several 
Pt»cuiu  harbors,  especially  near  the  mouth  of  Bjick's 
Rive?,  where  there  is  a  sandy  bottom  in  forty  fathoms. 
There  also  fish  are  plentiful,  and  reindeer  and  musk- 
oxen  may  be  procured  at  this  season,  by  spending  a 
little  time  in  hunting.  # 

On  tho  3d  and  4th  of  August  we  observed  a  fall  of 
more  than  two  feet  in  the  water  during  the  night. 
There  are  various  irregular  and  partial  currents  in  the 
inlet,  which  may  bo  attributed  to  the  wind.     I  have 
distinguished  it  by  the  name  Bathurst's  Inlet,  in  hon- 


'.1^' 


In  the  Arctic  Begions, 


223 


or  of  the  noblo  Secretary  of  State,  under  whose  orders 
I  had  the  honor  to  act.  It  runs  about  seventy-six 
miles  south-east  from  Cape  Evcritt,  but  in  coasting 
its  shores  wo  wont  Jibout  one  hundred  and  seventy-four 
geographical  miles.  It  is  remarkable  that  none  of  the 
Indians  with  whom  wo  had  spoken  had  mentioned  this 
inlet ;  and  we  subsequently  learned,  that  in  their  jour- 
neys they  strike  across  from  the  mouth  of  one  river 
to  the  mouth  of  another,  without  tracing  the  interme- 
diate line  of  coast. 

August  11. — Embarking  at  five  A.M.,  we  rounded 
Point  Everitt,  and  then  encountered  a  strong  breeze 
and  heavy  swell,  which  by  causing  the  canoes  to  pitch 
very  much,  greatly  impeded  our  progress.  Some  deer 
being  seen  grazing  in  a  valley  near  the  beach,  we  land- 
ed, and  sent  St.  Germain  and  Adam  in  pursuit  of 
them,  who  soon  killed  three  which  were  very  small 
and  lean.  Their  appearance,  however,  quite  revived 
the  spirits  of  our  men,  who  had  suspected  thart  the 
deer  had  retired  to  the  woods.  It  would  appear,  from 
our  not  having  seen  any  in  passing  along  the  shores  of 
Bathurst's  Inlet,  that  at  this  season  they  confine  them- 
selves to  the  sea-coast  and  the  islands.  The  magpie 
berries  (arbutus  alpina)  were  found  quite  ripe  at  this 
j>l:icc,  and  very  abundant  on  the  acclivities  of  the  hills. 
We  also  ascended  the  highest  hill,  and  gained  a  view 
of  a  distant  chain  of  islands,  extending  as  far  as  the 


"f 


224 


Thirty  Tears 


eye  could  reach,  and  perceived  a  few  patches  of  ice 
still  remaining  near  to  some  of  them  ;  but  in  every 
other  part  the  sea  was  quite  open.  Eesuming  our 
voyage  after  noon,  we  proceeded  along  the  coast,  which 
is  fringed  by  islands  ;  and,  at  five  P.M.,  entered  ano- 
ther bay,  where  we  were  for  some  time  involved  in  our 
late  difficulties  by  the  intricacy  of  the  passages  ;  but 
we  cleared  them  in  the  afternoon,  and  encamped  near 
the  northern  entrance  of  the  bay,  at  a  spot  which  had 
recently  been  visited  by  a  small  party  of  Esquimaux, 
as  the  remains  of  some  eggs,  containing  young,  were 
lying  beside  some  half-burnt  fire-wood.  T?iere  were 
also  several  piles  of  stones  put  up  by  them.  I  have 
named  this  bay  after  my  friend.  Captain  Pavid  Bu- 
chan,  of  the  Eoyal  Navy.  It  appears  to  be  a  safe  an- 
chorage, being  well  sheltered  from  the  wind  and  sea  by 
islands  ;  the  bottom  is  sandy.  Its  shores  are  high, 
and  composed  of  red  sand-stone,  ""wo  deer  were  seen 
on  its  beach,  but  could  not  be  approached.  The  dis- 
tance we  made  to-day  w^as  eighteen  miles  and  three- 
quarters. 

Embarking  at  four  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  we 
proceeded  against  a  fresh  piercing  north-east  wind, 
which  raised  the  waves  to  a  height  that  quite  terrified 
our  people,  accustomed  only  to  the  navigation  of  rivers 
and  lakes.  We  were  obliged,  however,  to  persevere  in 
our  advance,  feeling,  as  we  did,  that  the  short  season 


)^ 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


225 


for  our  operations  was  hastening  away  ;  but  after 
rounding  Cape  Croker  the  wind  became  so  strong  that 
we  could  proceed  no  further.  The  distance  we  had 
made  being  only  six  miles  on  a  north-east  by  east 
course.  The  shore  on  which  we  encamped  is  formed 
of  the  debris  of  red  sand-stone,  and  is  destitute  of  vege- 
tation. The  beach  furnishes  no  drift  wood,  and  we 
dispensed  with  our  usual  meal  rather  than  expend 
our  pemmican.  Several  deer  were  seen,  but  the  hunt- 
ers could  not  approach  them  ;  they  killed  two  swans. 
We  observed  the  latitude  68°  1'  20",  where  we  halted 
to  breakfast  this  morning. 

August  13. — Though  the  wind  was  not  diminished, 
we  were  urged,  by  the  want  of  fire- wood,  to  venture 
upon  proceeding.  We  paddled  close  to  the  shore  for 
some  miles,  and  then  ran  before  the  breeze  with  reefed 
sails,  scarcely  two  feet  in  depth.  Both  the  canoes 
received  much  water,  and  one  of  them  struck  twice  on 
sunken  rocks.  At  the  end  of  eighteen  miles  we  halted 
to  breakfast  in  a  bay,  which  I  have  named  after  Vice- 
Admiral  Sir  William  Johnstone  Hope,  one  of  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty. 

We  found  here  a  considerable  quantity  of  small 
willows,  such  as  are  brought  down  by  the  rivers  we 
have  hitherto  seen  ;  and  hence  we  judged,  that  a  river 
discharges  itself  into  the  bottom  of  this  bay.  A  pad- 
dle was  also  found,  which  Augustus,  on  examination, 


10* 


# 


226 


Thirty  Years 


declared  to  be  made  after  the  fashion  of  the  White 
Goose  Esquimaux,  a  tribe  with  whom  his  countrymen 
had  had  some  trading  communication,  as  has  been 
mentioned  in  a  former  part  of  the  Narrative. 

This  morning  wo  passed  the  embouchure  of  a  pretty 
large  stream,  and  saw  the  vestiges  of  an  Esquimaux 
encampment  not  above  a  mouth  old.  Having  obtained 
the  latitude  68°  6'  40"  N.,  we  recommenced  our  voy- 
age under  sail,  taking  the  precaution  to  embark  all  the 
pieces  of  willow  we  could  collect,  as  we  had  found  the 
drift  wood  become  more  scarce  as  we  advanced.  Our 
course  was  directed  to  a  distant  point,  which  we  sup- 
posed to  be  a  cape,  and  the  land  stretching  to  the 
westward  of  it  to  be  islands  ;  but  we  soon  found  our- 
selves in  an  extensive  bay,  from  which  no  outlet  could 
be  perceived  but  the  one  by  which  we  had  entered. 
After  examining,  however,  from  the  top  of  a  hill,  we 
found  a  winding  shallow  passage  running  to  the  north- 
west, which  we  followed  for  a  short  time  and  then  en- 
camped, having  come  twenty-three  miles,  north  by 
east  half  east. 

Some  articles  left  by  the  Esquimaux  attracted  our 
attention  ;  we  found  a  winter  sledge  raised  upon  four 
stones,  with  some  snow-shovels,  and  a  small  piece  of 
whalebone.  An  ice-chisel,  a  knife,  and  some  beads, 
were  left  at  this  pile.  The  shores  of  this  bay,  which 
I  have  named  after  Sir  George  Warrender,  are  low 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


227 


and  clayey,  and  the  country  for  many  miles  is  level, 
and  much  intersected  with  water ;  but  we  had  not 
leisure  to  ascertain  whether  they  were  branches  of  the 
bay  or  fresh- water  lakes.  Some  white  geese  were  seen 
this  evening,  and  some  young  grey  ones  were  caught 
on  the  beach,  being  unable  to  fly.  We  fired  at  two 
reindeer,  but  without  success. 

On  August  14th  we  paddled  the  whole  day  along 
the  northern  shores  of  the  sound,  returning  towards 
its  mouth.  The  land  which  we  were  now  tracing  is 
generally  so  flat,  that  it  could  not  be  described  from 
the  canoes  at  the  distance  of  four  miles,  and  is  invisi- 
ble from  the  opposite  side  of  the  sound,  otherwise  a 
short  traverse  might  have  saved  us  some  days.  The 
few  eminences  that  are  on  this  side  were  mistaken  for 
islands  when  seen  from  the  opposite  shore  ;  they  are 
for  the  most  part  cliffs  of  basalt,  and  are  not  above 
one  hundred  feet  high ;  the  subjacent  strata  are  of 
white  sand-stone.  The  rocks  are  mostly  confined  to 
the  capes  and  shores,  the  soil  inland  being  flat,  clayey, 
and  barren.  Most  of  the  headlands  .'^hewed  traces  of 
visits  from  the  Esquimaux,  but  none  of  them  recent. 
Many  ducks  were  seen  to-day,  belonging  to  a  species 
termed  by  the  voyagers,  from  their  cry,  "  caccawees." 
We  also  sav  >ome  grey  geese  and  swans.  The  only 
seal  we  procu,  ed  during  our  voyage,  was  killed  this 
day  ;  it  happened  to  be  blind,  and  our  men  imagining 


228 


Thirty  Years 


it  to  be  in  bad  health,  would  not  taste  the  flesh  ;  we, 
however,  were  less  nice. 

We  encamped  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  miles' 
march,  on  the  north-west  side  of  a  bay,  to  which  I 
have  given  the  name  of  my  friend  Captain  Parry,  now 
employed  in  the  interesting  research  for  a  North- West 
Passage.  Drift  wood  had  become  very  scarce,  and  we 
found  none  near  the  encampment ;  a  fire,  however, 
was  not  required,  as  we  served  out  pemmican  for  sup- 
par,  and  the  evening  was  unusually  warm. 

On  the  following  morning  the  breeze  was  fresh,  and 
the  waves  rather  high.  In  paddling  along  the  west 
side  of  Parry's  Bay,  we  saw  several  deer,  but  owing 
to  the  openness  of  the  country,  the  hunters  could  not 
approach  them.  They  killed,  however,  two  swans 
that  were  moultiug,  several  cranes,  and  many  grey 
geese.  We  procured  also  some  caccawees,  which  were 
then  moulting  and  assembled  in  immense  flocks.  In 
the  evening,  having  rounded  Point  Beechy,  and  passed 
Hurd's  Islands,  we  were  exposed  to  much  inconveni- 
ence and  danger  from  a  heavy  rolling  sea  ;  the  canoes 
receiving  many  severe  blows,  and  shipping  a  good 
deal  of  water,  which  induced  us  to  encamp  at  five 
P.M.  'Pi'osite  to  Cape  Croker,  which  we  had  passed 
on  the  morning  of  the  12th  ;  the  channel,  which  lay  be- 
tween our  situation  and  it,  being  about  seven  miles 
wide.     We  had  now  reached  the  northern  point  of  en- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


229 


trance  into  this  sound,  which  I  have  named  in  honor 
of  Lord  Viscount  Melville,  the  First  Lord  of  the  Ad- 
miralty. It  is  thirty  miles  wide  from  east  to  west, 
and  twenty  from  north  to  south  ;  and  in  coasting  it 
we  had  sailed  eighty-seven  and  a  quarter  geographi- 
cal miles.  Shortly  after  the  tents  were  pitched,  Mr. 
Back  reported  from  the  steersmen  that  both  canoes 
had  sustained  material  injury  during  this  day's  voyage. 
I  found  upon  examination  that  fifteen  timbers  of  the 
first  canoe  were  broken,  some  of  them  in  two  places, 
and  that  the  second  canoe  was  so  loose  in  the  frame 
that  its  timbers  could  not  be  bound  in  the  usual  se- 
cure manner,  and  consequently  there  was  danger  of  its 
bark  separating  from  the  gunwales  if  exposed  to  a 
heavy  sea.  Distressing  as  were  these  circumstances, 
they  gave  me  less  pain  than  the  discovery  that  our 
people,  who  had  hitherto  displayed,  in  following  us 
through  dangers  and  difficulties  no  less  novel  than  ap- 
palling to  them,  a  courage  beyond  our  expectation, 
now  felt  serious  apprehensions  for  their  safety,  which 
BO  possessed  their  minds  that  they  were  not  restrained 
even  by  the  presence  of  their  officers  from  expressing 
them.  Their  fears,  we  imagined,  had  been  principally 
excited  by  the  interpreters,  St.  Germain  and  Adam, 
who  from  the  outset  had  foreboded  every  calamity ; 
and  we  now  strongly  suspected  that  their  recent  want 
of  success  in  their  huntiiig  excursions,  had  proceeded 


0. 


230 


Thirty  Tears 


from  an  intentional  relaxation  in  their  efforts  to  kill 
deer,  in  order  that  the  want  of  provision  might  compel 
us  to  put  a  period  to  our  voyage. 

I  must  now  mention  that  many  concurrent  circum- 
stances had  caused  me,  during  the  few  last  days,  to 
meditate  on  the  approach  of  this  painful  necessity. 
The  strong  breezes  we  had  encountered  for  some  days, 
led  me  to  fear  that  the  season  "^z^  breaking  up,  and 
severe  weather  would  soon  ensue,  which  we  could  not 
sustain  in  a  country  destitute  of  fuel.  Our  stock  of 
provision  was  now  reduced  to  a  quantity  of  pemmican 
only  sufficient  for  three  days'  consumption,  and  the 
prospect  of  increasing  it  was  not  encouraging,  for 
though  reindeer  were  seen,  they  could  not  be  easily 
approached  on  the  level  shores  we  were  now  coasting, 
besides,  it  was  to  be  apprehended  they  would  soon 
migrate  to  the  south.  It  was  evident  that  the  time 
spent  in  exploring  the  Arctic  and  Melville  Sounds, 
and  Bathurst's  Inlet,  had  precluded  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing Eepulse  Bay,  which  at  the  outset  of  tho  voyage 
we  had  fondly  cherished  ;  and  it  was  equally  obvious 
that  as  our  distance  from  any  of  the  trading  establish- 
ments would  increase  as  we  proceeded,  the  hazardous 
traverse  across  the  barren  grounds,  which  we  should 
have  to  make,  if  compelled  to  abandon  the  canoes 
upon  any  part  of  the  coast,  would  become  greater. 
I  this  evening  communicated  to  the  officers  my  sen- 


In  the  Arctic^m^tons, 


231 


timents  on  these  points,  as  well  ^s  respecting  our  re- 
turn, and  was  happy  to  find  that  their  opinions  coin- 
cided with  my  own.  We  were  all  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  putting  a  speedy  termination  to  our  ad- 
vance, as  the  hope  which  we  had  cherished  of  meeting 
the  Esquimaux  and  procuring  provision  from  them, 
could  now  scarcely  be  entertained ;  but  yet  we  were 
desirous  of  proceeding,  until  the  land  should  be  seen 
trending  again  to  the  eastward  ;  that  we  might  be 
satisfied  of  its  separation  from  what  we  had  conceived, 
in  passing  from  Cape  Barrow  to  Bathurst's  Inlet,  to 
be  a  great  chain  of  islands.  As  it  was  necessary, 
however,  at  all  events,  to  set  a  limit  to  our  advance, 
I  announced  my  determination  of  returning  after  four 
days  examination,  unless,  indeed,  we  should  previous- 
ly meet  the  Esquimaux,  and  be  enabled  to  make 
some  arrangement  for  passing  the  winter  with  them. 
This  communication  was  joyfully  received  by  the  men, 
and  we  hoped  that  the  industry  of  our  hunters  being 
once  more  excited,  we  should  be  able  to  add  to  our 
stock  of  provision. 

It  may  here  be  remarked  that  we  observed  the  first 
regular  return  of  the  tides  in  Warrender's  and  Parry's 
Bays  ;  but  their  set  could  not  be  ascertained.  The 
rise  of  the  water  did  not  amount  to  more  than  two 
feet.  Course  to-dav  south  one  quarter  east — ^nine 
miles  «and  a  quarter. 


f 


232 


Thirty  Years 


\ 


August  16. — Some  rain  fell  in  the  night,  but  the 
morning  was  unusually  fine.     We  set  forward  at  five 
A.  M.,  and  the  men  paddled  cheerfully  along  the  coast 
for  ten  miles,  when  a  dense  fog  caused  us  to  land  on 
Slate-clay  Point.     Here  we  found  more  traces  of  the 
Esquimaux,  and  the  skull  of  a  man  placed  between 
two  rocks.     The  fog  dispersed  at  noon,  and  we  dis- 
cerned a  group  of  islands  to  the  northward,  which  I 
have  named  after  Vice- Admiral  Sir  George  Cockbum, 
one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.     Ke- embarking, 
we  rounded  the  point  and  entered  Walker's  Bay,  where, 
as  in  other  instances,  the  low  beach  which  lay  between 
several  high  trap  cliffs,  could  not  be  distinguished  un- 
til we  had  coasted  down  the  east  side  nearly  to  the 
bottom  of  the  bay.     When  the  continuity  of  the  land 
was  perceived,  we  crossed  to  the  western  shore,  and 
on  landing,  discovered  a  channel  leading  through  a 
group  of  islands.     Having  passed  through  this  chan- 
nel, we  ran  under  sail  by  the  Porden  Islands,  across 
Kiley's  Bay,  and  rounding  a  cape  which  now  bears  the 
name  of  my  lamented  friend  Captain  Flinders,  had  the 
pleasure  to  find  the  coast  trending  north-north-east, 
with  the  sea  in  the  offing  unusually  clear  of  islands  ; 
a  circumstance  which  afforded  matter  of  wonder  to  our 
Canadians,  who  had  not  previously  had  an  uninter- 
rupted view  of  the  ocean. 

Our  course  was  continued  along  the  coast  until 


In  the  Arctic  Eegions. 


233 


eight  P.M.,  wlien  a  change  in  the  wind  and  a  threat- 
ening thunder  squall  induced  us  to  encamp  ;  but  the 
water  was  so  shallow,  that  we  found  some  difficulty 
in  approaching  the  shore.  Large  pieces  of  drift  wood 
gave  us  assurance  that  we  had  finally  escaped  from 
the  bays.  Our  tents  were  scarcely  pitched  before  we 
were  assailed  by  a  heavy  squall  and  rain,  which  was 
succeeded  by  a  violent  gale  from  west-north-west ; 
which  thrice  overset  the  tents  in  the  course  of  the 
night.  The  wind  blew  with  equal  violence  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  the  sea  rolled  furiously  upon  the 
beach.  The  Canadians  had  now  an  opportunity  of 
witnessing  the  effect  of  a  storm  upon  the  sea  ;  and 
the  sight  increased  their  desire  of  quitting  it. 

Our  hunters  were  sent  out,  and  saw  many  deer,  but 
the  flatness  of  the  country  defeated  their  attempts  to 
approach  them ;  they  brought,  however,  a  few  un- 
fledged geese.  As  there  was  no  appearance  of  increas- 
ing our  stock  of  provision,  the  allowance  was  limited 
to  a  handful  of  pemmican,  and  a  small  portion  of  por- 
table soup  to  each  man  per  day.  The  thermometer 
this  afternoon  stood  at  41°.  The  following  observa- 
tions were  obtained  :  latitude  68°  18'  50"  N.,  longi- 
tude 110'  5'  15''  W.  ;  but  109°  25'  00"  W.  was  used 
in  the  construction  of  the  chart,  as  the  chronometers 
were  found,  on  our  return  to  Hood's  Kiver,  to  have 
altered  their  rates  ;  variation  44°  15'  46"  E.,  and  dip 
of  the  needle  89°  31'  12". 


:» 


234 


Thirty  Years 


On  August  18th  the  stormy  weather  and  sea  con- 
tinuing, there  was  no  prospect  of  our  being  able  to 
embark.  Dr.  Bichardson,  Mr.  Back,  and  I,  therefore, 
set  out  on  foot  to  discover  whether  the  land  within  a 
day's  march,  inclined  more  to  the  east.  We  went 
from  ten  to  twelve  miles  along  the  coast,  which  con- 
tinued flat,  and  kept  the  same  direction  as  the  en- 
campment. The  most  distant  land  we  saw  had  the 
same  bearing  north-north-east,  and  appeared  like  two 
islands,  which  we  estimated  to  be  six  or  seven  miles 
off ;  the  shore  on  their  inside  seemingly  trended  more 
to  the  east,  so  that  it  is  probable  Point  Turnagain, 
for  so  this  spot  was  named,  forms  the  pitch  of  a  low 
flat  cape. 

Augustus  killed  a  deer  in  the  afternoon,  but  tho 
men  were  rot  able  to  find  it.  The  hunters  found  the 
burrows  of  a  number  of  white  foxes,  and  Hepburn 
killed  one  of  these  animals,  which  proved  excellent 
eating,  esteemed  by  us  as  equal  to  the  young  geese, 
with  which  it  waR  boiled,  and  far  superior  to  the  lean 
deer  we  had  upon  the  coast.  Large  flocks  of  geese 
passed  over  the  tents,  flying  to  the  southward.  The 
lowest  temperature  to-day  was  38°. 

Though  it  will  appear  from  the  chart,  that  the  posi- 
tion of  Point  Tumagain  is  only  six  degrees  and  a  half 
to  the  east  of  the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  Biver ; 
we  sailed,  in  tracing  the  deeply-indented  coast,  five 
hundred  and  fifty-five  geographic  miles,  which  is  little 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


235 


less  than  the  direct  distance  between  the  Copper-Mine 
Kiver  and  Kepulse  Bay ;  supposing  the  latter  to  be 
in  the  longitude  assigned  to  it  by  Middleton. 

When  the  many  perplexing  incidents  which  occurred 
during  the  survey  of  the  coast  are  considered  in  con- 
nection with  the  shortness  of  the  period,  during  which 
operations  of  the  kind  can  be  carried  on,  and  the  dis- 
tance we  had  to  travel  before  we  could  gain  a  place  of 
shelter  for  the  winter,  I  trust  it  will  be  judged  that 
we  prosecuted  the  enterprize  as  far  as  was  prudent, 
and  abandoned  it  only  under  a  well-founded  conviction 
that  a  further  advance  would  endanger  the  lives  of  the 
whole  party,  and  prevent  the  knowledge  of  what  had 
been  dane  from  reaching  England.  The  active  assist- 
ance I  received  from  the  officers,  in  contending  with 
the  fears  of  the  men,  demands  my  warmest  gratitude. 

Our  researches  as  far  as  they  have  gone,  seem  to 
favor  the  opinion  of  those  who  contend  for  the  practi- 
cability of  a  North-West  Passage.  The  general  line 
of  coast  probably  runs  east  and  west,  nearly  in  the 
latitude  assigned  to  Mackenzie's  Kiver,  the  Sound 
into  which  Kotzebue  entered,  and  Repulse  Bay  ;  and 
very  little  doubt  can,  in  my  opinion,  be  entertained  of 
the  existence  of  a  continued  sea,  in  or  about  that  line 
of  direction.  The  existence  of  whales,  too,  on  this 
part  of  the  coast,  evidenced  by  the  whalebone  we  found 
in  Esquimaux  Cove,  may  be  considered  as  an  argu- 
ment for  an  open  sea  ;  and  a  connection  with  Hud- 


236 


Thirty  Years 


son's  Bay  is  rendered  more  probable  from  the  same 
kind  of  fish  abounding  on  the  coasts  we  visited,  and 
on  those  to  the  north  of  Churchill  River.  I  allude 
more  particularly  to  the  Capelin  or  Salmo  Arcticus, 
which  we  found  in  large  shoals  in  Bathurst's  Inlet, 
and  which  not  only  abounds,  as  Augustus  told  us,  in 
the  bays  in  his  country,  but  swarms  in  the  Greenland 
firths.  The  portion  of  the  sea  over  which  we  passed 
is  navigable  for  vessels  of  any  size  ;  the  ice  we  met, 
particularly  after  quitting  Detention  Harbor,  would 
not  have  arrested  a  strong  boat.  The  chain  of  islands 
affords  shelter  from  all  heavy  seas,  and  there  are  good 
harbors  at  convenient  distances.  I  entertain  indeed, 
sanguine  hopes  that  the  skill  and  exertions  of  my 
friend  Captain  Parry  will  soon  render  this  question  no 
Ipnger  problematical.  His  task  is  doubtless  an 
arduous  one,  and,  if  ultimately  successful,  may  occupy 
two  and  perhaps  three  seasons ;  but  confiding  as  I  do, 
from  personal  knowledge,  in  his  perseverance  and 
talent  for  surmounting  difiiculties,  the  strength  of  his 
ships,  and  the  abundance  of  provisions  with  which 
they  are  stored,  I  have  very  little  apprehension  of  his 
safety.  As  I  understand  his  object  was  to  keep  the 
coast  of  America  close  on  board,  he  will  find  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  before  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice 
can  permit  him  to  pursue  his  voyage,  herds  of  deer 
flocking  in  abundance  to  all  parts  of  the  coast,  which 
may  be  procured  without  difi&culty ;  and^  even  later 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


237 


in  the  season,  additions  to  his  stock  of  provision  may 
be  obtained  on  many  parts  of  the  coast,  should  cir- 
cumstances give  him  leisure  to  send  out  hunting 
parties.  With  the  trawl  or  seine  nets  also,  he  may 
almost  every  where  get  abundance  of  fish  even  without 
retarding  his  progress.  (Jnder  these  circumstances  I 
do  not  conceive  that  he  runs  any  hazard  of  wanting 
provisions,  should  his  voyage  be  prolonged  even 
beyond  the  latest  period  of  time  which  is  calculated 
upon.  Drift  timber  may  be  gathered  at  many  places 
in  considerable  quantities,  and  there  is  a  fair  prospect 
of  his  opening  a  communication  with  the  Esquimaux, 
who  come  down  to  the  coast  to  kill  seals  in  the  spring, 
previous  to  the  ice  breaking  up ;  and  from  whom,  if 
he  succeeds  in  conciliating  their  good  will,  he  may 
obtain  provision,  and  much  useful  assistance. 

If  he  makes  for  Copper-Mine  River,  as  he  probably 
will  do,  he  will  not  find  it  in  the  longitude  as  laid 
down  on  the  charts  ;  but  he  will  probably  find  what 
would  be  more  interesting  to  him,  a  post  whicb  we 
erected  on  the  26th  August  at  the  mouth  of  Hood's 
River,  which  is  nearly,  as  will  appear  hereafter,  in 
that  longitude,  with  a  flag  upon  it,  and  a  letter  at  the 
foot  of  it,  which  may  convey  to  him  some  useful  in- 
formation. It  is  possible,  however,  that  he  might 
keep  outside  of  the  range  of  islands  which  skirt  this 
part  of  the  coast. 


: 


J 
' 


, 


238 


Thirty  Years 


■#• 


CHAPTER  X 


Ai^St  17.  My  original  intention,  whenever  the  season 
should  compel  us  to  relinquish  the  survey,  had  been 
to  return  by  the  way  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and, 
in  pursuance  of  my  arrangement  with  the  Hook  to 
travel  to  Slave  Lake  through  the  line  of  woods  extend- 
ing thither  by  the  Great  Bear  and  Marten  Lakes,  but 
our  scanty  stock  of  provision  and  the  length  of  the 
voyage  rendered  it  necessary  to  make  for  a  nearer 
place.  We  had  already  found  that  the  -country,  be- 
tween Cape  Barrow  and  the  Copper-Mine  River,  would 
not  supply  our  wants,  and  this  it  seemed  probable 
would  now  be  still  more  the  case  ;  besides,  at  this  ad- 
vanced season,  we  expected  the  frequent  recurrence  of 
gales,  which  would  cause  great  detention,  if  not  dan- 
ger in  proceeding  along  that  very  rocky  part  of  the 
coast. 

I  determined,  therefore,  to  make  at  once  for  Arctic 
Sound,  where  we  had  found  the  animals  more  numer- 
ous than  at  any  other  place ;   and  entering  Hood's 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


239 


River,  to  advance  up  that  stream  as  far  as  it  was  navi- 
gable, and  then  to  construct  small  canoes  out  of  the 
materials  of  the  larger  ones,  which  could  be  carried  in 
crossing  the  barren  grounds  to  Fort  Enterprize. 

August  19. — We  were  almost  beaten  out  of  our 
comfortless  abodes  by  rain  during  the  night,  and  this 
morning  the  gale  continued  without  diminution.  The 
thermometer  fell  to  33**.  Two  men  were  sent  with 
Junius  to  search  for  the  deer  which  Augustus  had  kill- 
ed. Junius  returned  in  the  evening  bringing  part  of 
the  meat,  but  owing  to  the  thickness  of  the  weather, 
his  companions  parted  from  him  and  did  not  make 
their  appearance.  Divine  service  was  read.  On  the 
20th  we  were  presented  with  the  most  chilling  pros- 
pect, the  small  pools  of  water  being  frozen  over,  the 
ground  being  covered  with  snow,  and  the  thermometer 
at  the  freezing  point  at  mid-day.  Flights  of  geese 
were  passing  to  the  southward.  The  wind  however 
was  more  moderate,  having  changed  to  the  eastward. 
Considerable  anxiety  prevailing  respecting  Belanger 
and  Michel,  the  two  men  who  strayed  from  Junius 
yesterday,  the  rest  were  sent  out  to  look  for  them. 
The  search  was  successful,  and  they  all  returned  in 
the  evening.  The  stragglers  were  much  fatigued,  and 
had  suffered  severely  from  the  cold,  one  of  them  hav- 
ing his  thighs  frozen,  and  what  under  our  circumstan- 
ces was  most  grievous,  they  had  thrown  away  all  the  * 


'%' 


240 


Thirty  Tears 


meat.  The  wind  during  the  night  returned  to  the 
north-west  quarter,  blew  more  violently  than  ever,  and 
raised  a  very  turbulent  sea.  The  next  day  did  not 
improve  our  condition,  the  snow  remained  on  the 
ground,  and  the  small  pools  were  frozen.  Our  hunt- 
ers were  sent  out,  but  they  returned  after  a  fatiguing 
day's  march  without  having  seen  any  animals.  We 
made  a  scanty  meal  off  a  handful  of  pemmican,  after 
which  only  half  a  bag  remained. 

The  wind  abated  after  midnight,  and  the  surf  di- 
minished rapidly,  which  caused  us  to  be  on  the  alert 
at  a  very  early  hour  on  the  22d,  but  we  had  to  wait 
until  six  A.M.  for  the  return  of  Augustus,  who  had 
continued  out  all  night  on  an  unsuccessful  pursuit  of 
deer.  It  appears  that  he  walked  a  few  miles  farther 
along  the  coast,  than  the  party  had  done  on  the  18tb, 
and  from  a  sketch  he  drew  on  the  sand,  we  were  con- 
firmed in  our  former  opinion  that  the  shore  inclined 
more  to  the  ea.  tward  beyond  Point  Turnagain.  He 
also  drew  a  river  of  considerable  size,  that  dis- 
charges its  waters  into  Walker's  Bay  ;  on  the  banks 
of  which  stream  he  saw  a  piece  of  wood,  such  as  the 
Esquimaux  use  in  producing  fire,  and  other  marks  so 
fresh  that  he  supposed  they  had  recently  visited  the 
spot.  We  therefore  left  several  iron  materials  for 
them.  Our  men,  cheered  by  the  prospect  of  returning, 
embarked  with  the  utmost  alai  rity ;  and,  paddling 


••^^m-mtmti^fm 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


241 


with  unusual  vigor,  carried  us  across  Riley's  and 
Walker's  Bays,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  before  noon, 
when  we  landed  on  Slate- Clay  Point,  as  the  wind  had 
freshened  too  much  to  permit  us  to  continue  the  voy- 
age. The  whole  party  went  to  hunt,  but  returned 
without  success  in  the  evening,  drenched  with  the 
heavy  rain  which  commenced  soon  after  they  had  set 
out.  Several  deer  were  seen,  but  could  not  be  ap- 
proached in  this  naked  country  ;  and  as  our  stock  of 
pemmican  did  not  admit  of  serving  out  two  meals,  we 
went  dinnerless  to  bed. 

Soon  after  our  departure  to-day,  a  sealed  tin-case, 
sufficiently  buoyant  to  float,  was  thrown  overboard, 
containing  a  short  account  of  our  proceedings,  and  the 
position  of  the  most  conspicuous  points.  The  wind 
blew  oif  the  land,  the  water  was  smooth,  and  as  the 
sea  is  in  this  part  more  free  from  islands  than  in  any 
other,  there  was  every  probability  of  its  being  driven 
off  the  shore  into  the  current ;  which,  as  I  have  before 
mentioned,  we  suppose,  from  the  circumstance  of 
Mackenzie's*  Eiver  being  the  only  known  stream  that 
brings  down  the  wood  we  have  found  along  the  shores, 
to  set  to  the  eastward. 

August  23. — A  severe  frost  caused  us  to  pass  a 
comfortless  night.  At  2  P.M.  we  set  sail,  and  the 
men  voluntarily  launched  out  to  make  a  traverse  of 
fifteen  miles  across  Melville  Sound,  before  a  strong 


M 


J? 


i 


^4St 


Thirty  Yeavi 


r -I  «Tr  r^— T~  '-i-rf-wit— "n-nr- 


EA 


wind  ttttd  h«»i\vy  iott.  The  prlvntlon  of  food,  ttndor 
which  our  voyagew  w*erc  then  kboring,  nbnoibod  ©very 
other  terror ;  otherwise  the  rnont  powerflil  pernuaHlon 
could  uofi  have  induced  them  to  attempt  such  a  tra- 
verse, It  wtts  with  the  utmost  diflloulty  that  the 
CAttoes  were  kept  ft'om  turning  their  hroftdfiiileB  to  the 
waves,  though  we  sometimes  steeriMl  with  all  the  pad- 
dles. One  of  them  narrowly  escaped  beinij;  overset  by 
this  accident,  happening;,  in  mid-channel,  where  the 
wa\^8  were  so  high  Inat  the  mast-head  of  our  canoe 
was  often  hid  from  the  other,  though  it  was  sailing 
within  hail 

The  travewe,  however,  was  made  ;  we  were  then 
near  a  high  rocky  lee  shore,  on  which  a  heavy  sttrf  was 
beating.  The  wind  being  on  the  beam,  the  canoos 
drifted  fast  to  leewaril ;  and,  on  rounding  a  point,  the 
recoil  of  the  sea  fi\>m  the  rock.^  was  so  great  that  they 
were  with  dilHculty  kept  fK>m  foundering.  We  looked 
in  vain  for  a  sheltered  bay  to  land  in  ;  but,  at  length, 
Wing  unable  to  \wat her  another  point,  we  were  obliged 
to  put  ashore  on  the  open  beach,  which,  iortunatety, 
w^a«  sandy  at  this  spot.  The  delxirkation  was  effectinl 
without  further  i»\jury  than  the  si)litting  of  the  head 
of  the  second  canoe,  which  was  easily  rejmired. 

Our  encnmptuent  Inking  near  to  the  place  where  wo 
killeil  the  deer  on  the  11th,  almost  the  whole  jmrty 
went  out  to  hunt,  b\it  they  returned  in  the  evening 


In  the  Arcito  Up. ff tons, 


243 


without  Imvlng  seen  any  game.  The  berriei)  how- 
over,  were  ripe  and  phmtiful,  and,  with  the  addition 
of  some  country  tea,  furnishod  a  supper.  There  were 
Bome  sliowers  in  tho  afternoon,  and  the  weather  wan 
cold,  the  thermometer  being  42**,  but  the  evening  and 
night  were  calm  and  fine.  It  may  bo  reniftrked  that 
the  muBquitoen  disappeared  wiien  tho  late  gales  com- 
menced. 

Aurfuat  24.— Embarlcing  at  three  A.M.,  we  stretch- 
ed across  the  eastern  entrance  of  Datliurst's  Inlet,  and 
arrived  at  an  island,  which  I  Itave  named  after  Colo- 
nel Barry,  of  Newton  Barry.  Some  deer  being  seen 
on  the  beach,  the  hunters  went  in  pursuit  of  them, 
and  succeeded  in  killing  three  females,  which  enabled 
us  to  save  our  last  remaining  meal  of  pemmican. 
They  saw  also  some  fresh  tracks  of  musk  oxen  on  the 
bunks  of  a  small  stream,  wliich  flowed  into  a  lake  in 
tlie  centre  of  the  island.  Tliese  animals  must  have 
crossed  a  channel,  at  least  three  miles  wide,  to  reach 
tho  nearest  of  those  islands.  Some  specimens  of  varie- 
gated pebbles  and  jiispcr  were  found  here  imbedded 
in  the  amygdaloidal  rock. 

Bo-embarking  at  two  P.M.,  and  continuing  throtigh 
what  was  supposed  to  bo  a  channel  between  two 
islands,  we  fontid  our  passage  barred  by  a  gravelly 
istlinms  of  only  ten  yards  in  width  ;  tho  canoes  and 
cargoes  wore  carried  across  it,  and  wc  passed  into 


244 


Thirty  Years 


Bathurst's  Inlet  through  another  similar  channel, 
bounded  on  both  sides  by  steep  rocky  hills.  The 
wind  then  changing  from  S.E.  to  N.  W.  brought  heavy 
rain,  and  we  encamped  at  seven  P.M.,  having  advan- 
ced eighteen  miles. 

August  25. — Starting  this  morning  -with  a  fresh 
breeze  in  our  favor,  we  soon  reached  that  part  of  Bar- 
ry's Island  where  the  canoes  were  detained  on  the  2d 
and  3d  of  this  month,  and  contrary  to  what  we  then 
experienced,  the  deer  were  now  plentiful.  The  hunt- 
ers killed  two,  and  we  were  relieved  from  all  appre- 
hension of  an  immediate  wdnt  of  food.  Gne  would 
suppose  the  deer  were  about  to  retire  to  the  main 
shore,  from  their  assembling  at  this  time  in  such  num- 
bers on  the  islands  nearest  the  coast.  Those  we  saw 
were  generally  females  with  their  young,  and  all  of 
them  very  lean. 

The  wind  continued  in  the  same  direction  until  we 
had  rounded  Point  Wollaston,  and  then  changed  to  a 
quarter  which  enabled  us  to  steer  for  Hood's  River, 
which  we  ascended  as  high  as  the  first  rapid,  and  en- 
camped. Here  terminated  our  voyage  on  the  Arctic 
sea,  during  which  we  had  gone  over  six  hundred  and 
fifty  geographical  miles.  Our  Canadian  voyagers 
could  not  restrain  their  expressions  of  joy  at  having 
turned  their  backs  on  the  sea,  and  they  passed  the 
evening  talking  over  their  past  adventures  with  much 


m 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


245 


humor  and  no  little  exaggeration.  The  consideration 
that  the  most  painful,  and  certainly  the  most  hazard- 
ous, part  of  the  journey  was  yet  to  come,  did  not  de- 
press their  spirits  at  all.  It  is  due  to  their  charac- 
ter to  mention  that  they  displayed  much  courage  in  , 
encountering  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  magnified  to  them 
by  their  novelty.  , 

The  shores  between  Cape  Barrow  and  Cape  Flin- 
ders, including  the  extensive  branches  of  Arctic  and 
Melville  Sounds,  and  Bathurst's  Inlet,  may  be  com- 
prehended in  one  great  gulf,  which  I  have  distinguish- 
ed by  the  appellation  of  George  IV.'s  Coronation 
Gulf,  in  honor  of  His  Most  Gracious  Majesty,  the  lat- 
ter name  being  added  to  mark  the  time  of  its  discov- 
ery. The  Archipelago  of  islands  which  fringe  the 
coast  from  Copper-Mine  Eiver  to  Point  Tumagain,  I 
have  named  in  honor  of  His  Boyal  Highness  the  Duke 
of  York. 

It  may  be  deserving  of  notice,  that  the  extremes  in 
temperature  of  the  sea  water  during  our  voyage  were 
63°  and  35°,  but  its  general  temperature  was  between 
43°  and  48°.  Throughout  our  return  from  Point 
Tumagain  we  observed  that  the  sea  had  risen  several 
feet  above  marks  left  at  our  former  encampments. 
This  may,  perhaps,  be  attributed  to  the  north-west 
gales. 

August  26.— Previous  to  our  departure  this  mom- 


246 


Thirty  Tears 


ing,  an  assortment  of  iron  materials,  beads,  looking- 
glasses,  and  other  articles  were  put  up  in  a  conspicu- 
ous situation  for  the  Esquimaux,  and  the  English 
Union  was  planted  on  the  loftiest  sand-hill,  where  it 
might  be  seen  by  any  ships  passing  in  the  ofiing. 
Here  also,  was  deposited  in  a  tin  box,  a  letter  contain- 
ing an  outline  of  our  proceedings,  the  latitude  and 
longitud"  of  the  principal  places,  and  the  course  we 
intended  to  pursue  towards  Slave  Lake. 

Embarking  at  eight  A.  M.  we  proceeded  up  the 
river,  which  is  full  of  sandy  shoals,  but  sufficiently 
deep  for  canoes  in  the  channels.  It  is  from  one  hun- 
dred to  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  is  bounded  by 
high  and  steep  banks  of  clay.  We  encamped  at  a 
cascade  of  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  which  is  pro- 
duced by  a  ridge  of  rock  crossing  the  river,  and  the 
nets  were  set.  A  mile  below  this  cascade  Hood's  River 
is  joined  by  a  stream  half  its  own  size,  which  I  have 
called  James*  Branch.  Bear  and  deer  tracts  had  been 
numerous  on  the  banks  of  the  river  when  we  were  here 
before,  but  not  a  single  recent  one  was  to  be  seen  at  this 
time.  Credit,  however,  killed  a  small  deer  at  some 
distance  inland,  which,  with  the  addition  of  berries, 
furnished  a  delightful  repast  this  evening.  The 
weather  was  remarkably  fine,  and  the  temperature  so 
mild,  that  the  musquitoes  again  made  their  appear- 
ance, but  not  in  any  great  numbers.  Our  distance 
rv."''o  +r».r1av  was  not  more  than  six  miles. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


247 


The  next  morning  the  net  furnished  us  with  ten 
white  fish  and  trout.  Having  made  a  further  deposit 
of  iron  work  for  the  Esquimaux,  we  pursued  our  voy- 
age up  the  river,  but  the  shoals  and  rapids  in  this  part 
were  so  frequent,  that  we  walked  along  the  banks  the 
whole  day,  and  the  crews  labored  hard  in  carrying  the 
canoes  thus  lightened  over  the  shoals  or  dragging  them 
up  the  rapids,  yet  our  journey  in  a  direct  line  was  only 
about  seven  miles.  In  the  evening  we  encamped  at 
the  lower  end  of  a  narrow  chasm  through  which  the 
river  flows  for  upwards  of  a  mile.  The  walls  of  this 
chasm  are  upwards  of  two  hundred  feet  high,  quite 
perpendicular,  and  in  some  places  only  a  few  yards 
apart.  The  river  precipitates  itself  into  it  over  a  rock, 
forming  two  magnificent  and  picturesque  falls  close  to 
each  other.  The  upper  fall  is  about  sixty  feet  high, 
and  the  lower  one  at  least  one  hundred,  but  perhaps 
considerably  more,  for  the  narrowness  of  the  chasm 
into  which  it  fell  prevented  us  from  seeing  its  bottom, 
and  we  could  merely  discern  the  top  of  the  spray  far 
beneath  our  feet.  The  lower  fall  is  divided  into  two, 
by  an  insulated  column  of  rock  which  rises  about  forty 
feet  above  it.  The  whole  descent  of  the  river  at  this 
place  probably  exceeds  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
The  rock  is  very  fine  felspathose  sandstone.  It  has  a 
smooth  surface  and  a  light  red  color.  I  have  named 
these  magnificent  cascade  "  Wilberforce  Falls,"  as  a 


248 


Thirty  Years 


tribute  of  mj  respect  for  that  distinguished  philan- 
thropist and  Christian.  Messrs.  Back  and  Hood  took 
beautiful  sketches  of  this  majestic  scene.  , 

The  river  being  surveyed  from  the  summit  of  a  hill, 
above  these  falls,  appeared  so  rapid  and  shallow,  that 
it  seemed  useless  to  attempt  proceeding  any  farther  in 
the  large  canoes.  I  therefore  determined  on  con- 
structing out  of  their  materials  two  smaller  ones  of 
suffioient  size  to  contain  three  persons,  for  the  purpose 
of  crossing  any  river  that  might  obstruct  our  progress. 
This  operation  was  accordingly  commenced,  .and  by 
the  31st  both  the  canoes  being  finished,  we  prepared 
for  our  departure  on  the  following  day. 

The  leather  which  had  been  preserved  for  making 
shoes  was  equally  divided  among  the  men,  two  pair  of 
flannel  socks  were  given  to  each  person,  and  such  ar- 
ticles of  warm  clothing  as  remained,  were  issued  to 
those  who  most  required  them.  They  were  also  fur- 
nished with  one  of  the  officers'  touts.  This  being 
done,  I  communicated  to  the  men  my  intention  of 
proceeding  in  as  direct  a  course  as  possible  to  the  part 
of  Point  Lake,  opposite  to  our  spring  encampment, 
which  was  only  distant  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
miles  in  a  straight  line.  They  received  the  communi- 
cation cheerfully,  considered  the  journey  to  be  short, 
and  left  me,  in  high  spirits,  to  arrange  their  own 
packages.     The  stores,  books,  &c.,  which  were  not 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


249 


absolutely  necessary  to  be  carried,  were  then  put  up  in 

boxes  to  be  left  en  cache  here,  in  order  that  the  men's 

burdens  might  be  as  light  as  possible. 

The  next  morning  was  warm,  and  very  fine.    Every 

one  was  on  the  alert  at  an  early  hour,  being  anxious 

to  commence  the  journey.    Our  luggage  consisted  of 

ammunition,  nets,  hatchets,  ice  chisels,  astronomical 

instruments,  clothing,  blankets,  three  kettles,  and  the 

two  canoes,  which  were  each  carried  by  one  man.   The 

oflBlcers  carried  such  a  portion  of  their  own  things  as 

their  strength  would  permit ;  the  weight  carried  by 

each  man  was  about  ninety  pounds,  and  with  this  we 

advanced  at  the  rate  of  about  a  mile  an  hour,  including 

rests.      In  the  evening  the  hunters  killed  a  lean  cow, 

out  of  a  large  drove  of  musk-oxen  ;  but  the  men  were 

too  much  laden  to  carry  more  than  a  small  portion  of 

its  flesh.     The  alluvial  soil,  which  towards  the  mouth 

of  the  river  spreads  into  plains,  covered  with  grass 

and  willows,  was  now  giving  place  to  a  more  barren 

and  hilly  country  ;  so  that  we  could  but  just  collect 

sufficient  brush  wood  to  cook  our  suppers.     The  part 

of  the  river  we  skirted  to-day  was  shallow,  and  flowed 

over  a  bed  of  sand  ;  its  width  about  one  hundred  and 

twenty  yards.    About  midnight  our  tent  was  blown 

down  by  a  squall,  and  we  were  completely  drenched 

with  rain  before  it  could  be  re-pitched. 

In  the  morning  of  the  Ist  of  September  a  fail  of 

11» 


*'■ 


250 


ThiHy  Tears 


snow  took  place  ;  the  canoes  became  a  cause  of  delay, 
by  the  difficulty  of  carrying  them  in  a  high  wind,  and 
they  sustained  much  damage  from  the  falls  of  those 
who  had  charge  of  them.     The  face  of  the  country 
was  broken  by  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  but  the 
ground  was  plentifully  strewed  with   small   stones, 
which,  to  men  bearing  heavy  burdens,  and  whose  feet 
were  protected  only  by  soft  moose  skin  shoes,  occasion- 
ed great  pain.     At  the  end  of  eleven  miles  we  encamp- 
ed, and  sent  for  a  musk-ox  and  a  deer,  which  St.  Ger- 
main and  Augustus  had  killed.    The  day  was  extreme- 
ly cold,  the  thermometer  varying  between  34°  and  36°. 
In  the  afternoon  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  took  place,  on 
the  wind  changing  from  nortK-west  to  south-west. 
We  found  no  wood  at  the  encampment,  but  made  a 
fire  of  moss  to  cook  the  supper,  and  crept  under  oui 
blankets  for  warmth.     At  sun  rise  the  thermometer 
was  at  31°,  and  the  wind  fresh  from  north-west ;  but 
the  weather  became  mild  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon, 
and  the  snow  disappeared  from  the  gravel.     The  after- 
noon was  remarkably  fine,  and  the  thermometer  rose 
to  50°.     One  of  the  hunters  killed  a  musk-ox.     The 
hills  in  this  part  are  lower  and  more  round-backed 
than  those  we  passed  yesterday,  and  exhibited  but  lit- 
tle naked  rock  ;  they  were  covered  with  lichens. 

Having  ascertained  from  the  summit  of  the  highest 
hill  near  the  tents,  that  the  river  continued  to  preserve 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


251 


a  west  course  ;  and  fearing  that  by  pursuing  it  further 
we  might  loose  much  time,  and  unnecessarily  walk 
over  a  great  deal  of  ground,  I  determined  on  quitting 
its  banks  the  next  day,  and  making  as  directly  as  we 
could  for  Point  Lake.  We  accordingly  followed  the 
river  on  the  3d,  only  to  the  place  where  the  musk-ox 
had  been  killed  last  evening,  and  after  the  meat  was 
procured,  crossed  the  river  in  our  two  canoes  lashed 
together.  We  now  emerged  from  the  valley  of  the 
river,  and  entered  a  level,  but  very  barren  country, 
varied  only  by  small  lakes  and  marshes,  the  ground 
being  covered  with  small  stones.  Many  old  tracks  of 
rein-deer  were  seen  in  the  clayey  soil,  and  some  more 
recent  ones  of  the  nfhsk-ox.  We  encamped  on  the 
borders  of  Wright's  Eiver,  which  flows  to  the  eastward  ; 
the  direct  distance  walked  to-day  being  ten  miles  and 
three-quarters.  The  next  morning  was  very  fine,  and 
as  the  day  advanced,  the  weather  became  quite  warm. 
We  set  out  at  six  A.M.,  and  having  forded  the  river, 
walked  over  a  perfectly  level  country,  interspersed  with 
small  lakes,  which  communicated  with  each  other,  by 
streams  running  in  various  directions.  No  berry-bear- 
ing plants  were  found  in  this  part,  the  surface  of  the 
earth  being  thinly  covered  in  the  moister  places  with 
a  few  grasses,  and  on  the  drier  spots  with  lichens. 

Having  walked  twelve  miles  and  a  half,  we  encamp 
ed  at  seven  P.M.,  and  distributed  our  last  piece  oi 


252 


Tliirty  Years 


pemmicaDj  and  a  little  arrow-root  for  supper,  which 
afforded  but  a  scanty  meal.  This  evening  was  warm, 
but  dark  clouds  overspread  the  sky.  Our  men  now 
began  to  find  their  burdens  very  oppressive,  and  were 
much  fatigued  by  this  day's  march,  but  did  not  com- 
plain. One  of  them  was  lame  from  an  inflammation  in 
the  knee.  Heavy  rain  commenced  at  midnight,  and 
continued  without  intermission  until  five  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  it  was  succeeded  by  snow  on  the  wind 
changing  to  north-west,  which  soon  increased  to  a  vio- 
lent gale.  As  we  had  nothing  to  eat,  and  were  desti- 
tute of  the  means  of  making  a  fire,  we  remained  in 
.  our  beds  all  the  day ;  but  the  covering  of  our  blankets 
was  insufficient  to  prevent  us  frofti  feeling  the  severity 
of  the  frost,  and  sufiering  inconvenience  from  the  drift- 
ing of  the  snow  into  our  tents.  There  was  no  abate- 
ment of  the  storm  the  next  day  ;  our  tents  were  com- 
pletely frozen,  and  the  snow  had  drifted  around  them 
to  a  depth  of  three  feet,  and  even  on  the  inside  there 
was  a  covering  of  several  inches  on  our  blankets.  Our 
sufiering  from  cold,  in  a  comfortless  canvass  tent  in 
such  weather,  with  the  temperature  at  20^,  and  with- 
out fire,  will  easily  be  imagined  ;  it  was,  however,  less 
than  that  which  we  felt  from  hunger. 

The  morning  of  the  7th  cleared  up  a  little,  but  the 
wind  was  still  strong,  and  the  weather  extremely  cold. 
From  the  unusual  continuance  of  the  storm,  we  feared 


i^jR^tii,.. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


253 


the  winter  had  set  in  with  all  its  rigor,  and  that  hy 
longer  delay  we  should  only  he  exposed  to  an  accumu- 
lation of  difficulties ;  we  therefore  prepared  for  our 
journey,  although  we  were  in  a  very  unfit  condition 
for  starting,  being  weak  from  fasting,  and  our  gar- 
ments stiffened  by  the  frost.  We  had  no  means 
of  making  a  fire  to  thaw  them,  the  moss,  at  all  times 
difficult  to  kindle,  being  now  covered  with  ice  and 
snow.  A  considerable  time  was  consumed  in  packing 
up  the  frozen  tents  and  bed  clothes,  the  wind  blowing 
80  strong  that  no  one  could  keep  his  hands  long  out  of 
his  mittens. 

Juat  as  we  were  aboat  to  commence  our  march,  I 
was  seized  with  a  fainting  fit,  in  consequence  of  ex- 
haustion and  sudden  exposure  to  the  wind  ;  but 
after  eating  a  morsel  of  portable  soup,  I  recovered,  so 
far  as  to  be  able  to  move  on.  I  was  unwilling  at  first 
to  take  this  morsel  of  soup,  which  was  diminishing 
the  small  and  only  remaining  meal  of  the  party  ;  but 
several  of  the  men  urged  me  to  it,  with  much  kindness. 
The  ground  was  covered  a  foot  deep  with  snow,  the 
margin  of  the  lakes  was  incrusted  with  ice,  and  the 
swamps  over  which  we  had  to  pass  were  entirely 
frozen  ;  but  the  ice  not  being  sufficiently  strong  to 
bear  us,  we  frequently  plunged  knee-deep  in  water. 
Those  who  carried  the  canoes  were  repeatedly  blown 
down  by  the  violence  of  the  wind,  and  they  often  fell, 


2M 


Thirty  Tears 


from  making  an  insecure  step  on  a  slippery  stone  ;  on 
one  of  these  occasions^  the  largest  canoe  was  so  much 
broken  as  to  be  rendered  utterly  unserviceable.  This 
was  felt  as  a  serious  disaster,  as  the  remaining  canoe 
having  through  mistake  been  made  too  small,  it  was 
doubtful  whether  it  would  be  sufficient  to  carry  us 
across  a  river.  Indeed  we  had  found  it  necessary  in 
crossing  Hood's  River,  to  lash  the  two  canoes  together. 
As  there  was  some  suspicion  that  Benoit,  who  carried 
the  canoe,  had  broken  it  intentionally,  he  having  on  a 
former  occasion  been  overheard  by  some  of  the  men  to 
say,  that  he  would  do  so  when  he  got  it  in  charge,  we 
closely  examined  him  on  the  point ;  he  roundly  denied 
having  used  the  expressions  attributed  to  him,  and 
insisted  that  it  was  broken  by  his  falling  accidentally ; 
and  as  he  brought  men  to  attest  the  latter  fact,  who 
saw  him  tumble,  we  did  not  press  the  matter  further. 
I  may  here  remark,  that  our  people  had  murmured  a 
good  deal  at  having  to  carry  two  canoes,  though  they 
were  informed  of  the  necessity  of  taking  both,  in  case 
it  should  be  deemed  advisable  to  divide  the  party ; 
which  it  had  been  thought  probable  we  should  be 
obliged  to  do,  if  animals  proved  scarce,  in  order  to 
give  the  whole  the  better  chance  of  procuring  sub- 
sistence, and  also  for  the  purpose  of  sending  forward 
some  of  the  best  walkers  to  search  for  Indians,  and  to 
get  them  to  meet  us  with  supplies  of  provision.    The 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


255 


power  of  doing  this  was  now  at  an  end.  As  the  acci- 
dent could  not  be  remedied,  we  turned  it  to  the  best 
account,  by  making  a  fire  of  the  bark  and  timbers  of 
the  broken  vessel,  and  cooked  the  remainder  of  our 
portable  soup  and  arrow-root.  This  was  a  scanty 
meal  after  three  days'  fasting,  but  it  served  to  allay 
the  pangs  of  hunger,  and  enabled  us  to  proceed  at  a 
quicker  pace  than  before.  The  depth  of  the  snow 
caused  us  to  march  in  Indian  file,  that  is,  in  each 
other's  steps  ;  the  voyagers  taking  it  in  turn  to  lead 
the  party.  A  distant  object  was  pointed  out  to  this 
man  in  the  direction  we  wished  to  take,  and  Mr.  Hood 
followed  immediately  behind  him,  to  renew  the  bear- 
ings, and  keep  him  from  deviating  more  than  could  be 
helped  from  the  mark.  It  may  be  here  observed,  that 
we  proceeded  in  this  manner  throughout  our  route 
across  the  barren  grounds. 

In  the  afternoon  we  got  into  a  more  hilly  country, 
where  the  ground  was  strewed  with  large  stones.  The 
surface  of  these  was  covered  with  lichens  of  the  genua 
gyrophorUj  which  the  Canadians  term  tripe  de  roche. 
A  considerable  quantity  was  gathered,  and  with  half 
a  partridge  each,  (which  were  shot  in  the  course  of  the 
day,)  furnished  us  with  a  slender  supper,  which  we 
cooked  with  a  few  willows,  dug  up  from  beneath  the 
deep  snow.  We  passed  a  comfortless  night  in  our 
damp  clothes,  but  took  the  precaution  of  sleeping 


256 


Thirty  Years 


upon  our  socks  and  shoes  to  prevent  them  from  freez- 
ing. This  plan  was  afterwards  adopted  throughout 
the  journey. 

At  half-past  five  in  the  morning  we  proceeded  ;  and 
after  walking  about  two  miles,  came  to  Cracroft's  Biv- 
er,  flowing  to  the  westward,  with  a  very  rapid  current 
over  a  rocky  channel.  We  had  much  difficulty  in 
crossing  this,  the  canoe  being  useless,  not  only  from 
the  bottom  of  the  channel  being  obstructed  by  large 
stones,  but  also  from  its  requiring  gumming,  an  opera- 
tion which,  owing  to  the  want  of  wood  and  the  frost, 
we  were  unable  to  perform.  However,  after  following 
the  course  of  the  river  some  way,  we  eflfected  a  pass- 
age by  means  of  a  range  of  large  rocks  that  crossed  a 
rapid.  As  the  current  was  strong,  and  many  of  the 
rocks  were  covered  with  water  to  the  depth  of  two  or 
three  feet,  the  men  were  exposed  to  much  danger  in 
carrying  their  heavy  burdens  across,  and  several  of 
them  actually  slipped  into  the  stream,  but  were  im- 
mediately rescued  by  the  others.  Junius  went  farther 
up  the  river  in  search  of  a  better  crossing  place,  and 
did  not  rejoin  us  to-day.  As  several  of  the  party  were 
drenched  from  head  to  foot,  and  we  were  all  wet  to 
the  middle,  our  clothes  became  stiff  with  the  frost,  and 
we  walked  with  much  pain  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day.  The  march  was  continued  to  a  late  hour,  being 
anxious  to  rejoin  the  hunters  who  had  gone  before,  but 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


257 


we  were  obliged  to  encamp  at  the  end  of  ten  miles  and 
a  quarter,  without  seeing  them.  Our  only  meal  to- 
day consisted  of  a  partridge  each,  (which  the  hunters 
shot,)  mixed  with  tripe  de  roche.  This  repast, 
although  scanty  for  men  with  appetites  such  as  our 
daily  fctigue  created,  proved  a  cheerful  one,  and  was 
received  with  thankfulness.  Most  of  the  men  had  to 
sleep  in  the  open  air,  in  consequence  of  the  absence 
of  Cr6dit,  who  carried  their  tent ;  but  we  fortunately 
found  an  unusual  quantity  of  roots  to  make  a  fire, 
which  prevented  their  suffering  much  from  the  cold, 
though  the  thermometer  was  at  17®. 

"We  started  at  six  on  the  9th,  and  at  the  end  of  two 
miles  regained  our  hunters,  who  were  halting  on  the 
borders  of  a  lake  amidst  a  clump  of  stunted  willows. 
This  lake  stretched  to  the  westward  as  far  as  we  could 
see,  and  its  waters  were  discharged  by  a  rapid  stream 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide.  Being  entirely  ig- 
norant where  we  might  be  led  by  pursuing  the  course 
of  the  lake,  and  dreading  the  idea  of  going  a  mile  un- 
necessarily out  of  the  way,  we  determined  on  crossing 
the  river  if  possible  ;  and  the  canoe  was  gummed  for 
the  purpose,  the  willows  furnishing  us  with  fire.  But 
we  had  to  await  the  return  of  Junius  before  we  could 
make  the  traverse.  In  the  mean  time  we  gathered  a 
little  trijpe  de  roche^  and  breakfasted  upon  it  and  a 
few  partridges  that  were  killed  in  the  morning.     St. 


258 


Thirty  Tears 


Germain  and  Adam  were  sent  upon  some  recent  tracks 
of  deer.  Junius  arrived  in  the  afternoon,  and  inform- 
ed us  that  he  had  seen  a  large  herd  of  musk-oxen  on 
the  banks  of  Cracroft's  Biver,  and  had  wounded  one 
of  them,  but  it  had  escaped.  He  brought  about  i'our 
pounds  of  meat,  vlie  remains  of  a  deer  that  had  been 
devoured  by  the  wolves.  The  poor  fellow  was  much 
fatigued,  having  walked  throughout  the  night,  but  as 
the  weather  was  particularly  favorable  for  our  crossing 
the  river,  we  could  not  allow  him  to  rest.  After  he 
had  taken  some  refreshment  we  proceeded  to  the  river. 
The  canoe  being  put  into  the  water  was  found  extreme- 
ly ticklish,  but  it  was  managed  with  much  dexterity 
by  St.  Germain,  Adam,  and  Peltier,  who  ferried  over 
one  passenger  at  a  time,  causing  him  to  lie  flat  in  its 
bottom,  by  no  means  a  pleasant  position,  owing  to  its 
leakiness,  but  there  was  no  alternative.  The  transport 
of  th«  whole  party  was  effected  by  five  o'clock,  and  we 
walked  about  two  miles  further,  and  encamped,  hav- 
ing come  five  miles  and  three-quarters  on  a  south-west 
course.  Two  young  alpine  hares  were  shot  by  St. 
Germain,  which,  with  the  small  piece  of  meat  brought 
in  by  Junius,  furnished  the  supper  of  the  whole  party. 
There  was  no  tripe  de  roche  here.  The  country  had 
now  become  decidedly  hilly,  and  was  covered  with 
snow.  The  lake  preserved  its  western  direction,  as 
far  as  I  could  see  from  the  summit  of  the  highest 


'# 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


259 


mountain  near  the  encampment.  We  subsequently 
learne(Lfrom  the  Copper  Indians,  that  the  part  at 
which  we  had  crossed  the  river  was  the  Congecatlia 
wha  chaga  of  Hearne,  of  which  I  had  little  idea  at  the 
time,  not  only  from  the  difference  of  latitude,  but  also 
from  its  being  so  much  farther  east  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Copper-Mine  River,  than  his  track  is  laid'  down. 
He  only  making  one  degree  aud  three-quarters  differ- 
ence of  longitude,  and  we  upwards  of  four.  Had  I 
been  aware  of  the  fact,  several  days*  harassing  march, 
and  a  disastrous  accident  would  have  been  prevented 
by  keeping  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake,  instead  of 
crossing  the  river.  We  were  informed  also,  that  this 
river  is  the  Anatessy,  or  Biver  of  Strangers,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  idll  into  Bathurst's  Inlet ;  but  although  the 
Indians  have  visited  its  mouth,  their  description  was 
not  sufficient  to  identify  it  with  any  of  the  rivers  whose 
mouths  we  had  seen.  It  probably  falls  in  that  part 
of  the  coast  which  was  hid  from  our  view  by  Goul- 
bnrh*s  or  Elliot's  Islands. 

September  IJ. — We  had  a  cold  north  wind,  and  the 
atmosphere  was  foggy.  The  thermometer  18**  at  five 
A.M.  In  the  course  of  our  march  this  morning,  we 
passed  many  small  lakes  ;  and  the  ground,  becoming 
higher  and  more  hilly  as  we  receded  from  the  river, 
was  covered  to  a  much  greater  depth  with  snow. 
This  rendered  walking  not  only  extremely  laborious, 


m 


260 


^     Thirty  Tears 


but  also  hazardous  in  the  highest  degree  ;  for  the 
sides  of  the  hills,  as  is  usual  throughout  th^barren 
grounds,  abounding  in  accumulations  of  large  angular 
stones,  it  often  happened  that  the  men  fell  into  the 
interstices  with  their  loads  on  their  backs,  being  de- 
ceived by  the  smooth  appearance  of  the  drifted  snow. 
If  any  one  had  broken  a  limb  here,  his  fate  would 
have  been  melancholy  indeed  ;  we  could  neither  have 
remained  with  him,  nor  carried  him  on.  We  halted 
at  ten  to  gather  tripe  de  roche,  but  it  was  so  frozen, 
that  we  were  quite  benumbed  with  cold  before  a  suffi- 
ciency could  be  collected  even  for  a  scanty  meal.  On 
proceeding,  our  men  were  somewhat  cheered,  by  ob- 
serving on  the  sandy  summit  of  a  hill,  from  whence 
the  snow  had  been  blown,  the  summer  track  of  a  man ; 
and  afterwards  by  seeing  several  deer  tracks  on  the 
snow.  About  noon  the  weather  cleared  up  a  little, 
and,  to  our  great  joy,  we  saw  a  herd  of  musk-oxen 
grazing  in  a  valley  below  us.  The  party  instantly 
halted,  and  the  best  hunteru  were  sent  out ;  they  ap- 
proached the  animals  with  the  utmost  caution,  no  less 
than  two  hours  being  consumed  before  they  got  within 
gun-shot.  In  the  meantime  we  beheld  their  proceed- 
ings with  extreme  anxiety,  and  many  secret  prayers 
were,  doubtless,  offered  up  for  their  success.  At 
length  they  opened  their  fire,  and  we  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  seeing  one  of  the  largest  cows  fall ;  another 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


261 


was  wounded,  but  escaped.  This  success  infused 
spirit  into  our  starving  party.  To  skin  and  cut  up 
the  animal  was  the  work  of  a  few  minutes.  The  con- 
tents of  its  stomach  were  devoured  upon  the  spot,  and 
the  raw  intestines,  which  were  next  attacked,  were 
pronounced  by  the  most  delicate  amongst  us  to  be 
excellent.  A  few  willcuvs,  whose  tops  were  seen 
peeping  through  the  snow  in  the  bottom  of  the  valley, 
were  quickly  grubbed,  the  tents  pitched,  and  supper 
cooked,  and  devoured  with  avidity.  This  was  the 
sixth  day  since  we  had  had  a  good  meal.  The  tripe  de 
roche,  even  where  we  got  enough,  only  serving  to  allay 
the  pangs  of  hunger  for  a  short  time.  After  supper, 
two  of  the  hunters  went  in  pursuit  of  the  herd,  but 
could  not  get  near  them. 

We  were  detained  all  the  next  day  by  a  strong 
southerly  wind,  and  were  much  incommoded  in  the 
tents  by  the  drifL  saow.  The  temperature  was  20®. 
The  average  for  the  last  ten  days  about  24  5°.  We 
restricted  ourselves  to  one  meal  to-day  as  we  were  at 
i'est,  and  there  was  only  meat  remaining  sufficient  for 
the  next  day. 

The  gale  had  not  diminished  on  the  12th,  and,  as  we 
were  fearful  of  its  continuance  for  some  time,  we  de- 
termined on  going  forward  ;  our  only  doubt  regarded 
the  preservation  of  the  canoe,  but  the  men  promised 
to  pay  particular  attention  to  it,  and  the  most  careful 


i 


. 


% 


262 


Thirty  Tears 


persons  were  appointed  to  take  it  in  charge.  The 
snow  was  two  feet  deep,  and  the  ground  much  broken, 
which  rendered  the  march  extremely  painful.  The 
whole  party  complained  more  of  faintness  and  weak- 
ness than  thej  had  ever  done  before ;  their  strength 
seemed  to  have  been  impaired  by  the  recent  supply  of 
animal  food.  In  the  afternoon  the  wind  abated,  and 
the  scow  ceased ;  cheered  with  the  change,  we  pro- 
ceeded forward  at  a  quicker  pace,  and  encamped  at 
six  P.M.,  having  come  eleven  miles.  Our  supper  con- 
sumed the  last  of  our  meat. 

We  set  out  on  the  13th,  in  thick  hazy  weather, 
and,  after  an  hour's  march,  had  the  extreme  mortifica- 
tion to  find  ourselves  on  the  borders  of  a  large  lake, 
which  we  subsequently  learned  from  the  Indians  was 
named  Contwoy-to,  or  Bum  Lake  ;  neither  of  its  ex- 
tremities could  be  seen.  As  the  portion  which  lay  to 
the  east  seemed  the  widest,  wc  coasted  along  to  the 
westward  portion  in  search  of  a  crossing-place  This 
lake  being  bounded  by  steep  and  lofty  hills,  our  march 
was  very  fatiguing.  Those  sides  which  were  exposed 
to  the  sun  were  free  from  snow,  and  we  found  upon 
them  some  excellent  berries.  We  encamped  at  six  P. 
M.,  having  come  only  six  miles  and  a  half.  Credit 
was  then  missing,  and  he  did  not  return  during  the 
night.  We  supped  off"  a  single  partridge  and  some 
tripe  (ie  roc^  ;  this  unpalatable  weed  was  now  quite 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


263 


nauseous  to  the  whole  party,  and  in  several  it  produced 
bowel  complaints.  Mr.  Hood  was  the  greatest  suffer- 
er from  this  cause.  This  evening  we  were  extremely 
distressed  at  discovering  that  our  improvident  com- 
panions, since  we  left  Hood's  River,  had  thrown  away 
three  of  the  fishing  nets,  and  burnt  the  floats  ;  they 
knew  we  had  brought  them  to  procure  subsistence  for 
the  party,  when  the  animals  should  fail,  and  we  could 
scarcely  believe  the  fact  of  their  having  wilfully  de-  ' 
prived  themselves  of  this  resource,  especially  when  we 
considered  that  most  of  them  had  passed  the  greater 
part  of  their  servitude  in  situations  where  the  nets 
alone  had  supplied  them  with  food.  Being  thus  de- 
prived of  our  principal  resource,  that  of  fishing,  and 
the  men  evidently  getting  weaker  every  day,  it  became 
necessary  to  lighten  their  burdens  of  every  thing 
except  ammunition,  clothing,  and  the  instruments 
that  were  required  to  find  our  way.  I,  therefore, 
issued  directions  to  deposit  at  this  encampment  the 
dipping  needle,  azimuth  compass,  magnet,  a  large 
thermometer,  and  a  few  books  wo  had  carried,  having 
torn  out  of  these  such  parts  as  we  should  require  to 
work  the  observations  for  latitude  and  longitude.  I 
also  promised,  as  an  excitement  to  the  efforts  in  hunt- 
ing, my  gun  to  St.  Germain,  and  an  ample  compensa- 
tion to  Adam,  or  any  of  the  other  men  who  should  kill 
any  animals.     Mr.  Hood^  on  this  occasion^  lent  his 


•i 


264 


Thirty  Years 


gun  to  Michel,  the  Iroquois,  who  was  very  eager  in 
the  chase,  and  often  successful. 
.  September  14. — This  morning  the  officers  being  as- 
sembled round  a  small  fire,  Perrault  presented  each 
of  us  with  a  small  piece  of  meat  which  he  had  saved 
from  his  allowance.  It  was  received  with  great  thank- 
fulness, and  suclr  an  act  of  self-denial  and  kindness, 
being  totally  unexpected  in  a  Canadian  voyager,  filled 
our  eyeg  with  tears.  In  directing  our  course  to  a  river 
issuing  from  the  lake,  we  met  Credit,  who  communi- 
cated the  joyful  intelligence  of  his  having  killed  two 
deer  in  the  morning.  We  instantly  halted,  and  hav- 
ing shared  the  deer  that  was  nearest  to  us,  prepared 
breakfast.  After  which,  the  other  deer  was  sent  for, 
and  we  went  down  to  the  river,  which  was  about  three 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  flowed  with  great  velocity 
through  a  broken  rocky  channel.  Having  searched 
for  a  part  where  the  current  was  most  smooth,  the 
canoe  was  placed  in  the  water  at  the  head  of  a  rapid, 
and  St.  Germain,  Solomon,  Belanger,  and  I,  embarked 
in  order  to  cross.  We  went  from  the  shore  very  well, 
but  in  mid-channel  the  canoe  became  difficult  to  man- 
age under  our  burden,  as  the  breeze  was  fresh.  The 
current  drove  us  to  the  edge  of  the  rapid,  when  Be- 
langer unfortunately  applied  his  paddle  to  avert  the 
apparent  danger  of  being  forced  down  it,  and  lost  his 
balance.    The  canoe  was  overset  in  consequence  in 


In  the  Arctic  Begtona, 


265 


the  middle  of  the  rapid.  We  fortunately  kept  hold 
of  it,  until  we  touched  a  rock  where  the  water  did  not 
reach  higher  than  our  waists  ;  here  we  kept  our  foot- 
ing, notwithstanding  the  strength  of  the  current,  un- 
til the  water  was  emptied  out  of  the  canoe.  Belanger 
then  held  the  canoe  steady  whilst  8t.  Germain  placed 
me  in  it,  and  afterwards  embarked  nimself  in  a  very 
dexterous  manner.  It  was  impossible,  however,  to 
embark  Belanger,  as  the  canoe  would  have  been  hur- 
ried down  the  rapid,  the  moment  he  should  have 
raised  his  foot  from  the  rock  on  which  he  stood.  Wo 
were,  therefore,  compelled  to  leave  him  in  his  perilous 
situation.  We  had  not  gone  twenty  yards  before  the 
canoe,  striking  on  a  sudden  rock,  went  down.  The 
place  being  shallow,  we  were  again  enabled  to  empty 
it,  and  the  third  attempt  brought  us  to  the  shore.  In 
the  mean  time  Belanger  was  suffering  extremely,  im- 
mersed to  his  middle  in  the  centre  of  a  rapid,  the  tem- 
perature of  which  was  very  little  above  the  freezing 
point,  and  the  upper  part  of  his  body  covered  with 
wet  clothes,  exposed  in  a  temperature  not  much  above 
zero,  to  a  strong  breeze.  He  called  piteously  for  re- 
lief, and  St.  Germain  on  his  return  endeavored  to  em- 
bark him,  but  in  vain.  The  canoe  was  hurried  down 
the  rapid,  and  when  he  landed  he  was  rendered  by  the 
cold  incapable  of  further  exertion,  and  Adam  attempt- 
ed to  embark  Belanger,  but  found  it  impossible.    An 

12 


266 


Hiirty  Tears 


attempt  was  next  made  to  carry  out  to  bim  a  line, 
made  of  the  slings  of  the  men's  loads.  This  also 
failed,  the  current  acting  so  strongly  upon  it,  as  to 
prevent  the  canoe  from  steering,  and  it  was  finally 
broken  and  carried  down  the  stream.  At  length, 
when  Belanger'a  strength  seemed  almost  exhausted, 
the  canoe  reached  bim  with  a  small  cord  belonging  to 
one  of  the  nets,  and  he  was  dragged  perfectly  sense- 
less through  the  rapid.  By  the  direction  of  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson, he  was  instantly  stripped,  and  being  rolled 
up  in  blankets,  two  men  undressed  themseh'es  and 
went  to  bed  with  him  ;  but  it  was  some  hours  before 
he  recovered  his  warmth  and  sensations.  As  soon  as 
Belanger  was  placed  in  his  bed,  the  officers  immedia- 
tely sent  over  my  blankets  and  a  person  to  make  a 
fire.  Augustus  brought  the  canoe  over,  and  in  return- 
ing he  was  obliged  to  descend  both  the  rapids,  be- 
fore he  could  get  across  the  stream  ;  which  hazardous 
service  he  performed  with  the  greatest  coolness  and 
judgment.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  my  sensations 
as  I  witnessed  the  various  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
relieve  Belanger.  The  distance  prevented  my  seeing 
distinctly  what  was  going  on,  and  I  continued  pacing 
up  and  down  upon  the  rock  on  which  I  landed,  regard- 
less of  the  coldness  of  my  drenched  and  stiffening  gar- 
ments. The  canoe,  in  every  attempt  to  reach  him, 
was  hurried  down  the  rapid,  and  was  lost  to  the  view 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


2G7 


JW 


amonjst  the  rocky  islets,  with  a  rapidity  that  seemed 
to  threjiten  certain  destruction  ;  once,  indeed,  I  fan- 
cied that  L  saw  it  overwhelmed  in  the  waves.  Such 
an  event  would  have  been  fatal  to  the  whole  party. 
Separated  as  I  was  from  my  companions,  without  gun, 
ammunition,  hatchet,  or  the  means  of  making  a  fire, 
and  in  wet  clothes,  my  doom  would  have  been  speedily 
sealed.  My  companions  too,  driven  to  the  necessity 
of  coasting  the  lake,  must  have  sunk  under  the  fatigue 
of  rounding  its  innumerable  arms  and  bays,  which,  as 
we  have  learned  from  the  Indians,  are  very  extensive. 
By  the  goodness  of  Providence,  however,  we  were 
spared  at  that  time,  and  some  of  us  have  been  permit- 
ted to  offer  up  our  thanksgivings,  in  a  civilized  laud, 
for  the  signal  deliverances  we  then  and  afterwards  ex- 
perienced. 

By  this  accident  I  had  the  misfortune  to  loose  my 
port-folio,  containing  my  journal  from  Fort  Enterprize, 
together  with  all  the  astronomical  and  meteorological 
observations  made  during  the  descent  of  the  Copper- 
Mine  Biver,  and  along  the  sea  coast,  (except  those  for 
the  dip  and  variation.)  I  was  in  the  habit  of  carry- 
ing it  strapped  across  my  shoulders,  but  had  taken  it 
off  on  entering  the  canoe,  to  reduce  the  upper  weight. 
The  results  of  jQOst  of  the  observations  for  latitude 
and  longitude  had  been  registered  in  the  sketch  books, 
60  that  we  preserved  the  requisites  for  the  construe- 


268 


Thirty  Years 


tion  of  the  chart.  The  meteorological  observations, 
not  having  been  copied,  were  lost.  My  companions, 
Dr.  BichardsoD,  Mr.  Back,  and  Mr.  Hood,  had  been 
80  careful  in  noting  every  occurrence  in  their  journals, 
that  the  loss  of  mine  could  fortunately  be  well  sup- 
plied. These  friends  immediately  offered  me  their 
documents,  and  every  assistance  in  drawing  up  another 
narrative,  of  which  kindness  I  availed  myself  at  the 
earliest  opportunity  afterwards. 

September  15. — The  rest  of  the  party  were  brought 
across  this  morning,  and  we  were  delighted  to  find 
Belanger  so  much  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  proceed, 
but  we  could  not  set  out  until  noon,  as  the  men  had 
to  prepare  substitutes  for  the  slings  which  were  lost 
yesterday.  Soon  after  leaving  the  encampment  we 
discerned  a  herd  of  deer,  and  after  a  long  chase  a  fine 
male  was  killed  by  Perrault;  several  others  were 
wounded,  but  they  escaped.  After  this  we  passed 
round  the  north  end  of  a  branch  of  the  lake,  and  as- 
cended the  Willingham  Mountains,  keeping  near  the 
border  of  the  lake.  These  hills  were  steep,  craggy, 
and  covered  with  snow.  We  encamped  at  seven,  and 
enjoyed  a  substantial  meal.  The  party  were  in  good 
spirits  this  evening  at  the  recollection  of  having  cross- 
ed the  rapid,  and  being  in  possession  of  provision  for 
the  next  day.  Besides  we  had  taken  the  precaution 
of  bringing  away  the  skin  of  the  deer  to  eat  when 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


269 


the  meat  should  fail.  The  temperature  at  six  P.M. 
was  30"; 

We  started  at  seven  next  morning  and  marched  un- 
til ten,  when  the  appearance  of  a  few  willows,  peeping 
through  the  snow,  induced  us  to  halt  and  breakfast. 
Re-commencing  the  journey  at  noon,  we  passed  over  a 
more  rugged  country,  where  the  hills  were  separated 
by  deep  ravines,  whose  steep  sides  were  equally  diffi- 
cult to  descend  and  to  ascend. 

The  party  was  quite  fatigued,  and  we  encamped, 
having  come  ten  miles  and  three-quarters.  We  ob- 
served many  summer  deer  roads,  and  some  recent 
tracks.  Some  marks  that  had  been  put  up  by  the 
Indians  were  also  noticed.  We  have  since  learned 
that  this  is  a  regular  deer  pass,  and  on  that  account, 
annually  frequented  by  the  Copper  Indians.  The 
lake  is  called  by  them  Contwoy-to,  or  Bum  Lake,  in 
consequence  of  Mr.  Hearne  having  here  given  the  In- 
dians who  accompanied  him  some  of  that  liquor. 
They  do  not  get  fish  here 

We  walked  next  day  over  a  more  level  country,  but 
it  was  strewed  with  large  stones.  These  galled  our 
feet  a  good  deal ;  we  contrived,  however,  to  wade 
through  the  snow  at  a  tolerably  quick  pace  until  five 
P.M.,  having  made  twelve  miles  and  a  half.  We  had 
made  to-day  our  proper  course,  south  by  east,  which 
we  could  not  venture  upon  doing  before,  for  fear  ot 


270 


Thirty  Years 


falling  again  upon  some  branch  of  the  Contwoy-to. 
Some  deer  were  seen  in  the  morning,  but  the  hunters 
failed  of  killing  an^^  and  in  the  afternoon  we  fell  into 
the  track  of  a  large  herd,  which  had  passed  the  day 
before,  but  did  not  overtake  them.  In  consequence 
of  this  want  of  success  we  had  no  breakfast,  and  but  a 
scanty  supper  ;  but  we  allayed  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
by  eating  pieces  of  singed  hide.  A  little  tripe  de  roche 
was  also  obtained.  These  would  have  satisfied  us  in 
ordinary  times,  but  we  were  now  almost  exhausted  by 
slender  fare  and  travel,  and  our  appetites  had  become 
ravenous.  W«  looked,  however,  with  humble  confi- 
dence to  the  great  Author  and  Giver  of  all  good,  for 
a  continuance  of  the  support  which  had  hitherto  been 
always  supplied  to  us  at  our  greatest  need.  The 
thermometer  varied  to-day  between  25''  and  28°. 
The  wind  blew  fresh  from  the  south. 

On  the  18th  the  atmosphere  was  hazy,  but  the  day 
was  more  pleasant  for  walking  than  usual.  The  coun- 
try was  level  and  gravelly,  and  the  snow  very  deep. 
We  went  for  a  short  time  along  a  deeply  beaten  road, 
made  by  the  reindeer,  which  turned  suddenly  off  to 
the  south-west,  which  was  a  direction  so  wide  of  our 
course  that  we  could  not  venture  upon  following  it. 
All  the  iimall  lakes  were  frozen,  and  we  marched  across 
those  which  lay  in  our  track.  We  supped  off  the 
tripe  de  roche  which  had  been  gathered  during  our 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


271 


halts  in  the  course  of  the  march.  Thermometer  at  six 
P.M.  32°. 

Showers  of  snow  fell  without  intermission  through 
the  night,  but  they  ceased  in  the  morning,  and  we  set 
out  at  the  usual  hour.  The  men  were  very  faint  from 
hunger,  and  marched  with  difficulty,  having  to  oppose 
a  fresh  breeze,  and  to  wade  through  the  snow  two  feet 
deep.  We  gained,  however,  ten  miles  by  four  o'clock, 
and  then  encamped.  The  canoe  was  unfortunately 
broken  by  the  fall  of  the  person  who  had  it  in  charge. 
No  tripe  de  rocJie  was  seen  to-day,  but  in  clearing  the 
snow  to  pitch  the  tents  we  found  a  quantity  of  Ice- 
land moss,  which  was  boiled  for  supper.  This  weed, 
not  having  been  soaked,  proved  so  bitter,  that  few  of 
the  party  could  eat  more  than  a  few  spoonfuls  of  it. 

Our  blankets  did  not  suffice  this  evening  to  keep  us 
in  tolerable  warmth  ;  the  slightest  breeze  seeming  to 
pierce  through  our  debilitated  frames.  The  reader 
will,  probably,  be  desirous  to  know  how  we  passed  our 
time  in  such  a  comfortless  situation  :  the  first  opera- 
tion after  encamping  was  to  thaw  our  frozen  shoes,  if 
a  sufficient  fire  could  be  made,  and  dry  ones  were  put 
on  ;  each  person  then  wrote  his  notes  of  the  daily  oc- 
currences, and  evening  prayers  were  read  ;  as  soon  as 
supper  was  prepared  it  was  eaten,  generally  in  the 
dark,  and  we  went  to  bed,  and  kept  up  a  cheerful  con- 
versation until  our  blankets  were  thawed  by  the  heat 


272 


Thirty  Years 


of  our  bodies,  and  we  had  gathered  sufficient  warmth 
to  enable  us  to  fall  asleep.  On  many  nights  we  had 
not  even  the  luxury  of  gonig  to  bed  in  dry  clothes,  for 
when  the  fire  was  insufficient  to  dry  our  shoes,  we 
durst  not  venture  to  pull  them  off,  lest  they  should 
freeze  so  hard  as  to  be  unfit  to  put  on  in  the  morning, 
and,  therefore,  inconvenient  to  carry. 

On  the  20th  we  got  into  a  hilly  country,  and  the 
marching  became  much  more  laborious :  even  the 
stoutest  experienced  great  difficulty  in  climbing  the 
craggy  eminences.  Mr.  Hood  was  particularly  weak, 
and  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  station  of  second  in 
the  line,  which  Dr.  Bichardson  now  took,  to  direct  the 
leading  man  in  keeping  the  appointed  course.  I  was 
also  unable  to  keep  pace  with  the  men,  who  put  forth 
their  utmost  speed,  encouraged  by  the  hope,  which 
our  reckoning  had  led  us  to  form,  of  seeing  Point  Lake 
in  the  evening,  but  we  were  obliged  to  encamp  with- 
out gaining  a  view  of  it.  We  had  not  seen  either 
deer  or  their  tracks  through  the  day,  and  this  circum- 
stance, joined  to  the  disappointment  of  not  discovering 
the  lake,  rendered  our  voyagers  very  desponding,  and 
the  meagre  supper  of  tripe  de  roche  was  little  calcu- 
lated to  elevate  their  spirits.  They  now  threatened 
to  throw  &^^Ry  their  bundles,  and  quit  us,  which  rash 
act  they  would  probably  have  done,  if  they  had  known 
what  track  to  pursue. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


273 


Sept.  21. — We  set  out  at  seven  this  morning  in 
dark  foggy  weather,  and  changed  our  course  two 
points  to  the  westward.  Tne  party  were  very  feeble, 
and  the  men  much  dispirited  ;  we  made  slow  pro 
gressj  having  to  march  over  a  hilly  and  very  rugged 
country. 

Just  before  noon  the  sun  beamed  through  the  haze 
for  the  first  time  for  six  days,  and  we  obtained  an  ob- 
servation in  latitude  Q5°  7'  06"  N.,  which  was  six 
miles  to  the  southward  of  that  part  of  Point  Lake  to 
which  our  course  was  directed.  By  this  observation 
we  discovered  that  we  had  kept  to  the  eastward  of  the 
proper  course,  which  may  be  attributed  partly  to  the 
difficulty  of  preserving  a  straight  line  through  an  un- 
known country,  unassisted  by  celestial  observations, 
and  in  such  thick  weather,  that  our  view  was  often 
limited  to  a  few  hundred  yards  ;  but  chiefly  to  our 
total  ignorance  of  the  amount  of  the  variation  of  the 
compass. 

We  altered  the  course  immediately  to  west-south- 
west, and  fired  guns  to  apprize  the  hunters  who  were 
out  of  our  view,  and  ignorant  of  our  having  done  so. 
After  walking  about  two  miles  we  put  up  to  collect 
the  stragglers.  Two  partridges  were  killed,  and  these 
with  some  tripe  de  roche,  furnished  our  supper.  Not- 
withstanding a  full  explanation  was  given  to  the  men 

of  the  reasons  for  alterinp:  the  courso,  and  they  were 

12* 


274 


TJiirly   Years 


assured  that  the  observation  had  enabled  us  to  disco- 
ver our  exact  distance  from  Fort  Enterprize,  they 
could  not  divest  themselves  of  the  idea  of  our  having 
lost  our  way,  and  a  gloom  was  spread  over  every  coun- 
tenance. At  this  encampment  Dr.  Richardson  was 
obliged  to  deposit  his  specimens  of  plants  and  minerals, 
collected  on  the  sea-coast,  being  unable  to  carry  them 
any  further.  The  way  made  to-day  was  five  miles 
and  a  quarter. 

Sept.  22. — After  walking  about  two  miles  this  morn- 
ing, we  came  upon  the  borders  of  a  large  lake,  whose 
extremities  could  not  be  discerned  in  consequence  of 
the  density  of  the  atmosphere  ;  but  as  its  shores  seem- 
ed to  approach  nearer  to  each  other  to  the  southward 
than  to  the  northward,  we  determined  on  tracing  it 
in  that  direction.  We  were  grieved  at  finding  the 
lake  expand  very  much  beyond  the  contracted  part  we 
had  first  seen,  and  incline  now  to  the  eastward  of 
south.  As  it  was  considered  more  than  probable,  from 
the  direction  and  size  of  the  body  of  water  we  were 
now  tracing,  that  it  was  a  branch  of  Point  Lake  ;  and 
as,  in  any  case,  we  knew  that  by  passing  round  its 
south  end,  we  must  shortly  come  to  the  Copper-Mine 
River,  our  course  was  continued  in  that  direction. 
The  appearance  of  some  dwarf  pines  and  willows,  lar- 
ger than  usual,  induced  us  to  suppose  the  river  was 
near.     We  encamped  early,  having  come  eight  miles. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


275 


Our  supper  consisted  of  tripe  de  roche  aud  half  a  par- 
tridge each. 

Our  progress  next  day  was  extremely  slow,  from  the 
difficulty  of  managing  the  canoe  in  passing  over  the 
hills,  as  the  breeze  was  fresh.  Peltier,  who  had  it  in 
charge,  having  received  several  severe  falls,  became 
impatient,  and  insisted  on  leaving  his  burden,  as  it 
had  already  been  much  injured  by  the  accidents  of 
this  day  ;  and  no  arguments  we  could  use  were  suffi- 
cient to  prevail  on  him  to  continue  carrying  it.  Vail- 
lant  was,  therefore,  directed  to  take  it,  and  we  proceed- 
ed forward.  Having  found  he  got  on  very  well,  and 
was  walking  even  faster  than  Mr.  Hood  could,  in  his 
present  debilitated  state,  I  pushed  forward  to  stop  the 
rest  of  the  party,  who  had  got  out  of  our  sight  during 
the  delay  which  the  discussion  about  the  canoe  had 
occasioned.  I  accidentally  passed  the  body  of  the  men, 
and  followed  the  tracks  of  two  persons,  who  had  sepa- 
rated from  the  rest,  until  two  P.M.,  when,  not  seeing 
any  person,  I  retraced  my  steps,  and  on  my  way  met 
Dr.  Richardson,  who  had  also  missed  the  party  whilst 
he  was  employed  gathering  tripe  de  roche^  and  we 
went  back  together  in  search  of  them.  We  found 
they  had  halted  among  some  willows,  where  they  had 
picked  up  some  pieces  of  skin,  and  a  few  bones  of  deer 
that  had  been  devoured  by  the  wolves  last  spring. 
They  had  rendered  the  bones  friable  by  burning,  and 


276 


Thirty  Tears 


eaten  them,  as  well  as  the  skiD  ;  and  several  of  them 
had  added  their  old  shoes  to  the  repast.  Peltier  and 
Yaillant  were  with  them,  having  left  the  canoe,  which, 
they  said,  was  so  completely  broken  by  another  fall, 
as  to  be  rendered  incapable  of  repair,  and  entirely  use- 
less. The  anguish  this  intelligence  occasioned  may  be 
conceived,  but  it  is  beyond  my  power  to  describe  it. 
Impressed,  however,  with  the  necessity  of  taking  it 
forward,  even  in  the  state  these  men  represented  it  to 
be,  we  urgently  desired  them  to  fetch  it ;  but  they  de- 
clined going,  and  the  strength  of  the  officers  was  inade- ' 
quate  to  the  task.  To  their  infatuated  obstinacy  on 
this  occasion,  a  great  portion  of  the  melancholy  circum- 
stances which  attended  our  subsequent  progress  may, 
perhaps,  be  attributed.  The  men  now  seemed  to  have 
lost  all  hope  of  being  preserved  ;  and  all  the  argu- 
ments we  could  use  failed  in  stimulating  them  to  the 
least  exertion.  After  consuming  the  remains  of  the 
bones  and  horns  of  the  deer  we  resumed  our  march, 
iKud,  in  the  evening,  reached  a  contracted  part  of  the 
lake,  which  perceiving  to  be  shallow,  we  forded  aTid 
encamped  on  the  opposite  side.  Heavy  rain  began 
soon  afterwards,  and  continued  all  the  night.  On  the 
following  rooming  the  rain  had  so  wasted  the  snow, 
that  the  tracks  of  Mr.  Back  and  his  companions,  who 
had  gone  before  with  the  hunters,  were  traced  with 
difficulty  ;  and  the  frequent  showers  during  the  day 


-.JL:   ^Jl^^^^^ii,^. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


277 


almost  obliterated  them.  The  men  became  furious  at 
the  apprehension  of  being  deserted  by  the  hunters,  and 
some  of  the  strongest  throwing  down  their  bundles, 
prepared  to  set  out  after  them,  intending  to  leave  the 
more  weak  to  follow  as  they  could.  The  entreaties 
and  threats  of  the  officers,  however,  prevented  their 
executing  this  mad  scheme  ;  but  not  before  Solomon 
Belanger  was  despatched  with  orders  for  Mr.  Back  to 
halt  until  we  should  join  him.  Soon  afterwards  a  thick 
fog  came  on,  but  we  continued  our  march  and  overtook 
Mr.  Back,  who  had  been  detained  in  consequence  of 
his  companions  having  followed  some  recent  tracks  of 
deer.  After  halting  an  hour,  during  which  we  refresh- 
ed ourselves  with  eating  our  old  shoes  and  a  few  scraps 
of  leather,  we  set  forward  in  the  hope  of  ascertaining 
whether  an  adjoining  piece  of  water  was  the  Copper- 
Mine  Kiver  or  not,  but  were  soon  compelled  to  return 
and  encamp,  for-  fear  of  a  separation  of  the  party,  as 
we  could  not  see  each  other  at  ten  yards'  distance. 
The  fog  diminishing  towards  the  evening,  Augustus 
was  sent  to  examine  the  water,  but  having  lost  his 
way  he  did  not  reach  the  tents  before  midnight,  when 
he  brought  the  informati'^n  of  its  being  a  lake.  We 
supped  upon  tripe  de  rochej  and  enjoyed  a  comforta- 
ble fire,  having  found  some  pines,  seven  or  eight  feet 
high,  in  a  valley  near  the  encampment.  . 

The  bounty   of  Providence  was   most  seasonably 
mnnifoRtnd  to  ua  next  morning,  in  our  killing  five 


278 


Thirty  Years 


small  deer  out  of  a  herd,  which  came  in  sight  as  we 
were  on  the  point  of  starting.  This  unexpected  sup- 
ply reanimated  the  drooping  spirits  of  our  men,  and 
filled  every  heart  with  gratitude. 

The  voyagers  instantly  petitioned  for  a  day's  rest, 
which  we  were  most  reluctant  to  grant,  being  aware 
of  the  importance  of  every  moment  at  this  critical 
period  of  our  journey.  But  they  so.  earnestly  and 
strongly  pleaded  their  recent  sufferings,  and  their  con- 
viction, that  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  two  substantial 
meals,  after  eight  days'  famine,  would  enable  them  to 
proceed  next  day  more  vigorously,  that  we  could  not 
resist  their  entreaties.  The  flesh,  the  skins,  and  even 
the  contents  of  the  stomachs  of  the  deer  were  equally 
distributed  among  the  party  by  Mr.  Hood,  who  had 
volunteered,  on  the  departure  of  Mr.  Wentzel,  to  per- 
form the  duty  of  issuing  the  provision.  This  invidious 
task  he  had  all  along  performed  with  great  impartiali- 
ty, but  seldom  without  producing  some  grumbling 
amongst  the  Canadians  ;  and  on  the  present  occasion, 
the  hunters  were  displeased  that  the  heads,  and  some 
other  parts,  had  not  been  added  to  their  portions.  It 
is  proper  to  remark,  that  Mr.  Hood  always  took  the 
smallest  portion  for  his  own  mess,  but  this  weighed 
little  with  these  men,  as  long  as  their  own  appetites 
remained  unsatisfied.  We  all  suffered  much  inconve- 
nience from  eating  animal  food  after  our  long  absti- 
nence, but  particularly  those. men  who  indulged  them- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


279 


selves  beyond  moderation.  We  learned,  in  the  even- 
ing, that  the  Canadians,  with  their  usual  thoughtless- 
ness, had  consumed  above  a  third  of  their  portions  of 
meat. 

We  set  out  early  on  the  26th,  and,  after  walking 
about  three  miles  along  the  lake,  came  to  the  river, 
w^hich  we  at  once  recognized,  from  its  size,  to  be  the 
Copper-Mine.  It  flowed  to  the  northward,  and  after 
winding  about  five  miles,  terminated  in  Point  Lake. 
Its  current  was  swift,  and  there  were  two  rapids  in 
this  part  of  its  course,  but  in  a  canoe  we  could  have 
crossed  with  ease  and  safety.  These  rapids,  as  well  as 
every  other  part  of  the  river,  were  carefully  examined 
in  search  of  a  ford  ;  but  finding  none,  the  expedients 
occurred,  of  attempting  to  cross  on  a  raft  made  of  the 
willows  which  were  growing  there,  or  in  a  vessel 
framed  with  willows,  and  covered  with  the  canvass  of 
the  tents  ;  but  both  these  schemes  were  abandoned, 
through  the  obstinacy  of  the  interpreters  and  the 
naost  experienced  voyagers,  who  declared  that  they 
would  prove  inadequate  to  the  conveyance  of  the 
party,  and  that  much  time  would  be  lost  in  the 
attempt.  The  men,  in  fact,  did  not  believe  that  this 
was  the  Copper-Mine  Eiver,  and  so  little  confidence 
had  they  in  our  reckoning,  and  so  much  had  they  be- 
wildered themseives  on  the  march,  that  some  of  them 
asserted  it  was  Hood's  River,  and  others  that  it  was 
the  Bethe-tessy,  (a  river  which  rises  from  a  lake  to  the 


I 


i 


280 


Thirty  Tears 


northward  of  Rum  Lake,  and  holds  a  course  to  the 
sea  parallel  to  the  Copper-Mine.)  In  short,  their 
despondency  had  returned,  and  they  all  despaired  of 
seeing  Fort  Enterprize  again.  However,  the  steady 
assurances  of  the  officers,  that  we  were  actually  on  the 
hanks  of  the  Copper-Mine  Biver,  and  that  the  dis- 
tance to  Fort  Enterprize  did  not  exceed  forty  miles, 
made  some  impression  upon  them,  which  was  increas- 
ed upon  our  finding  some  bear-herry  plants,  which  is 
reported  by  the  Indians  not  to  grow  to  the  eastward 
of  that  river.  Then  they  deplored  their  folly  and  im- 
patience in  breaking  the  canoe,  being  all  of  opinion, 
that  had  it  not  been  so  completely  demolished  on  the 
23d,  it  might  have  been  repaired  sufficiently  to  take 
the  party  over.  We  again  closely  interrogated  Pel- 
tier and  Yaillant  as  to  its  state,' with  the  intention  of 
sending  for  it ;  but  they  persisted  in  the  declaration, 
that  it  was  in  a  totally  unserviceable  condition. 
St.  Germain  being  again  <>alled  upon,  to  endeavor  to 
construct  a  canoe  frame  from  willows,  stated  that  he 
was  unable  to  make  one  sufficiently  large.  It  became 
necessary,  therefore,  to  search  for  pines  of  sufficient 
size  to  form  a  raft ;  and  being  aware  that  such  trees 
grow  on  the  borders  of  Point  Lake,  we  considered  it 
best  to  trace  its  shores  in  search  of  them  ;  we,  there- 
fore, resumed  our  march,  carefully  looking,  but  iu 
vain,  for  a  fordable  part,  and  encamped  at  the  east 
end  of  Point  Lake. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


281 


CHAPTER  XI. 


As  there  was  little  danger  of  our  losing  tbe  path 
of  our  hunters  whilst  we  coasted  the  shores  of  this 
lake,  I  determined  on  again  sending  Mr.  Back  forward, 
with  the  interpreters,  to  hunt.  I  had  in  view,  in  this 
arrangement,  the  further  ohject  of  enahling  Mr.  Back 
to  get  across  the  lake  with  two  of  these  men,  to  con- 
vey the  earliest  possihle  account  of  our  situation  to 
the  Indians.  Accordingly  I  instructed  him  to  halt  at 
the  first  pines  he  should  come  to,  and  then  prepare  a 
raft ;  and  if  his  hunters  had  killed  animals,  so  that  the 
party  could  be  supported  whilst  we  were  making  our 
raft,  he  was  to  cross  immediately  with  St.  Germain  and 
Beauparlant,  and  send  the  Indians  to  us  as  quickly  as 
possible  with  supplies  of  meat. 

We  had  this  evening  the  pain  of  discovering  that 
two  of  our  men  had  stolen  part  of  the  officers'  provi- 
sion, which  had  been  allotted  to  us  with  strict  impar- 
tiality. This  conduct  was  the  more  reprehensible,  as 
it  was  plain  that  we  were  suffering,  even  in  a  greater 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


■^  Uii   12.2 


It! 

lU 


lAO 


Ib 


IL25  HI  1.4 


I 


1.6 


1 

^                                                                                <  //                                                                                i^  1 

u 

■'I 

Hiotograite 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WBT  MAIN  STRIifT 

WIBSTH.N.Y.  UStO 

(716)  872-4503 


^ 


%^;<^ 

^\$^ 


^ 


282 


Tliirty  Years 


degree  than  themselves,  from  the  effects  of  famine, 
owing  to  our  being  of  a  less  robust  habit,  and  less  ac- 
customed to  privations.  We  had  no  means  of  punish- 
ing this  crime,  but  by  the  threat  that  they  should  for- 
feit their  wages,  which  had  now  ceased  to  operate. 

Mr.  Back  and  his  companions  set  out  at  six  in  the 
morning,  and  we  started  at  seven.  As  the  snow  had 
entirely  disappeared,  and  there  were  no  means  of  dis- 
tinguishing the  footsteps  of  stragglers,  I  gave  strict 
orders,  previously  to  our  setting  out,  for  all  the  party 
to  keep  together :  and  especially  I  desired  the  two 
Esquimaux  not  to  leave  us,  they  having  often  strayed 
in  search  of  the  remains  of  animals.  Our  people,  how- 
ever, through  despondency,  had  become  careless  and 
disobedient,  and  had  ceased  to  dread  punishment,  or 
hope  for  reward.  Much  time  was  lost  in  halting  and 
firing  guns  to  collect  them,  but  the  labor  of  walking 
was  so  much  lightened  by  the  disappearance  of  the 
snow,  that  we  advanced  seven  or  eight  miles  along  the 
lake  before  noon,  exclusive  of  the  loss  of  distance  in 
rounding  its  numerous  bays.  At  length  we  came  to 
an  arm,  running  away  to  the  north-east,  and  apparent- 
ly connected  with  the  lake  which  wo  had  coasted  on 
the  22d,  23d,  and  24th  of  the  month. 

The  idea  of  again  rounding  such  an  extensive  piece 
of  water  and  of  traveling  over  so  barren  a  country  was 
dreadful,  and  we  feared  that  other  arms,  equally  large, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


) 
283 


might  obstruct  our  path,  and  that  the  strength  of  the 
party  would  entirely  fail,  long  before  we  could  reach 
the  only  part  where  we  were  certain  of  finding  wood, 
distant  in  a  direct  line  twenty-five  miles.  While  we 
halted  to  consider  of  this  subject,  and  to  collect  the- 
party,  the  carcass  of  a  deer  was  discovered  in  the  cleft 
of  a  rock  into  which  it  had  fallen  in  the  spring.  It 
was  putrid,  but  it  was  little  less  acceptable  to  us  on 
that  account,  in  our  present  circumstances  ;  and  a 
fire  being  kindled,  a  large  portion  of  it  was  devoured 
on  the  spot,  affording  us  an  unexpected  breakfast,  for 
in  order  to  husband  our  small  remaining  portion  of 
meat,  we  had  agreed  to  make  only  one  scanty  meal  a 
day.  The  men,  cheered  by  this  unlooked-for  supply, 
became  sanguine  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  cross  the 
stream  on  a  raft  of  willows,  although  they  had  before 
declared  such  a  project  impracticable,  and  they  un- 
animously entreated  us  to  return  back  to  the  rapid, 
a  request  which  accorded  with  our  own  opinion,  and 
was  therefore  acceded  to.  Cr6dit  and  Junius,  how- 
ever, were  missing,  and  it  was  also  necessary  to  send 
notice  of  our  intention  to  Mr.  Back  and  his  party. 
Augustus  being  promised  a  reward,  undertook  the  task, 
and  we  agreed  to  wait  for  him  at  the  rapid.  It  was 
supposed  he  could  not  fail  meeting  with  the  two 
stragglers  on  his  way  to  or  from  Mr.  Back,  as  it  was 
likely  they  would  keep  on  the  borders  of  the  lake.    He 


284 


Thirty  Years 


accordingly  set  out  after  Mr.  Back,  whilst  we  returned 
about  a  mile  towards  the  rapid,  and  encamped  in  a 
deep  valley  amongst  some  large  willows.  We  supped 
on  the  remains  of  the  putrid  deer,  and  the  men  having 
gone  to  the  spot  where  it  was  found,  scraped  together 
the  contents  of  its  intestines  which  were  scattered  on 
the  rock,  and  added  them  to  their  meal. .  We  also 
enjoyed  the  luxury  to-day  of  eating  a  large  quantity 
of  excellent  blueberries  and  cranberries,  (yaccinium 
uUginosum  and  v.  Vitus  idcea,)  which  were  laid  bare 
by  the  melting  of  the  snow,  but  nothing  could  allay 
our  inordinate  appetites. 

In  the  night  we  heard  the  report  of  Credit's  gun  in 
answer  to  our  signal  muskets,  and  he  rejoined  us  in 
the  morning,  but  we  got  no  intelligence  of  Junius. 
We  set  out  about  an  hour  after  daybreak,  and  en- 
camped at  two  P.  M.  between  the  rapids,  where  the 
river  was  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards  wide, 
being  its  narrowest  part. 

Eight  deer  were  seen  by  Michel  and  Credit,  who 
loitered  behind  the  rest  of  the  party,  but  they  could 
not  approach  them.  A  great  many  shots  were  fired 
by  those  in  the  rear  at  partridges,  but  they  missed,  or 
at  least  did  not  choose  to  add  what  they  killed  to  the 
common  stock.  We  subsequently  learned  that  the 
hunters  often  secreted  the  partridges  they  shot,  and 
eat  them  unknown  to  the  officers.     Some  tripe  de 


In  the  Artie  Begions. 


285 


roche  was  collected,  which  we  boiled  for  supper,  with 
the  moiety  of  the  remainder  of  our  deer's  meat.  The 
men  commenced  cutting  the  willows  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  raft.  As  an  excitement  to  exertion, 
I  promised  a  reward  of  three  hundred  livres  to  the 
first  person  who  should  convey  a  line  across  the  river, 
by  which  the  raft  could  be  managed  in  transporting 
the  party. 

September  29. — Strong  south-east  winds  with  fog 
in  the  morning,  more  moderate  in  the  evening.  Tem- 
perature of  the  rapid  38°.  The  men  began  at  an  early 
hour  to  bind  the  willows  in  fagots  for  the  construction 
of  the  raft,  and  it  was  finished  by  seven  ;  but  as  the 
willows  were  green,  it  proved  to  be  very  little  buoyant, 
and  was  unable  to  support  more  than  one  man  at  a 
time.  Even  on  this,  however,  we  hoped  the  whole 
party  might  be  transported,  by  hauling  it  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  provided  a  line  could  be  carried  to 
the  other  bank.  Several  attempts  were  made  by  Be- 
langer  and  Benoit,  the  strongest  men  of  the  party,  to 
convey  the  raft  across  the  stream,  but  they  failed  for 
want  of  oars.  A  pole  constructed  by  tying  the  tent 
poles  together,  was  too  short  to  reach  the  bottom  at 
a  short  distance  from  the  shore  ;  and  a  paddle  which 
had  been  carried  from  the  sea  coast  by  Dr.  Richardson, 
did  not  possess  sufficient  power  to  move  the  raft  in 
opposition  to  a  strong  breeze,  which  blew  from  the 


1 


.^1 


t  - 


286 


Thirty  Years 


opposite  shore.  All  the  men  siiflfered  extremely  from 
the  coldness  of  the  water,  in  which  they  were  neces- 
sarily immersed  up  to  the  waists,  in  their  endeavors  to 
aid  Belanger  and  Benoit ;  and  having  witnessed  re- 
peated failures,  they  began  to  consider  the  scheme  as 
hopeless.  At  this  time  Dr.  Kichardson,  prompted  by 
a  desire  of  relieving  his  suffering  companions,  proposed 
to  swim  across  the  stream  with  a  line,  and  to  haul  the 
raft  over.  He  launched  into  the  stream  with  the  line 
round  his  middle,  but  when  he  had  got  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  bank,  his  arms  became  benumbed  with 
cold,  and  he  lost  the  power  of  moving  them  ;  still  he 
persevered,  and  turning  on  his  back,  had  nearly  gained 
the  opposite  bank,  when  his  legs  also  became  power- 
less, and  to  our  infinite  alarm  we  beheld  him  sink. 
We  instantly  hauled  upon  the  line  and  he  came  again 
on  the  surface,  and  was  gradually  drawn  ashore  in  an 
almost  lifeless  state.  Being  rolled  up  in  blankets,  he 
was  placed  before  a  good  fire  of  willows,  and  fortu- 
nately was  just  able  to  speak  sufficiently  to  give  some 
slight  directions  respecting  the  manner  of  treating 
him.  He  recovered  strength  gradually,  and  by  the 
blessing  of  God  was  enabled  fn  the  course  of  a  few 
hours  to  converse,  and  by  the  evening  was  sufficiently 
recovered  to  remove  into  the  tent.  We  then  resrretted 
to  learn,  that  the  skin  of  his  whole  left  side  was 
deprived  of  feeling  in  consequence  of  exposure  to  too 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


287 


great  heat.  He  did  not  perfectly  recover  the  sensa- 
tion of  that  side  until  the  following  summer.  I  can- 
not describe  what  every  one  felt  at  beholding  the 
skeleton  which  the  Doctor's  debilitated  frame  exhibi- 
ted. When  he  stripped,  the  Canadians  simultaneous- 
ly exclaimed,  "  Ah  que  nous  sommes  maigres."  I 
shall  best  explain  his  state  and  that  of  the  party,  by 
the  following  extract  from  his  journal :  "It  may  be 
worthy  of  remark,  that  I  would  have  had  little  hesita- 
tion in  any  former  period  of  my  life,  of  plunging  into- 
water  even  below  38°  Fahrenheit ;  but  at  this  time 
I  was  reduced  almost  to  skin  and  bone,  and  like  the 
rest  of  the  party,  suffered  from  degrees  of  cold  that 
would  have  been  disregarded  whilst  in  health  and 
vigor.  During  the  whole  of  our  march  we  experienced 
that  no  quantity  of  clothing  could  keep  us  warm 
whilst  we  fasted,  but  on  those  occasions  on  which  we 
were  enabled  to  go  to  bed  with  full  stomachs,  we 
passed  the  night  in  a  warm  and  comfortable  manner." 

In  following  the  detail  of  our  friend's  narrow  escape, 
I  have  omitted  to  mention,  that  when  he  was  about  to 
step  into  the  water,  he  put  his  foot  on  a  dagger,  which 
cut  him  to  the  bone  ;  but  this  misfortune  could  not 
stop  him  from  attempting  the  execution  of  his  gene- 
ous  undertaking. 

In  the  evening  Augustus  came  in.  He  had  walked 
a  day  and  a  half  beyond  the  place  from  whence  we 


.# 


2.CQ 


Thirty  Years 


turned  back,  but  had  neither  seen  Junius  nor  Mr. 
Back.  Of  the  former  he  had  seen  no  traces,  but  he 
had  followed  the  tracks  of  Mr.  Back's  party  for  a  con- 
siderable distance,  until  the  hardness  of  the  ground 
rendered  them  imperceptible.  Junius  was  well 
equipped  with  ammunition,  blankets,  knives,  a  kettle, 
and  other  necessaries  ;  and  it  was  the  opinion  of  Au- 
gustus, that  when  he  found  he  could  not  rejoin  the 
party,  he  would  endeavor  to  gain  the  woods  oc  the 
west  end  of  Point  Lake,  and  follow  the  river  until  he 
fell  in  with  the  Esquimaux,  who  frequent  its  mouth. 
The  Indians  too,  with  whom  we  have  since  conversed 
upon  this  subject,  are  confident  that  he  would  be  able 
to  subsist  himself  during  the  winter.  Or6dit,  on  his 
hunting  excursion  ^  to-day,  found  a  cap,  which  our 
people  recognized  to  belong  to  one  of  the  hunters  who 
had  left  us  in  the  spring.  This  circumstance  produced 
the  conviction  of  our  being  on  the  banks  of  the  Cop- 
per-Mine River,  which  all  the  assertions  of  the  officers 
had  hitherto  failed  to  do  with  some  of  the  party  ;  and 
it  had  the  happy  eflfect  of  reviving  their  spirits  con- 
siderably. We  consumed  the  last  of  our  deer's  meat 
this  evening  at  supper. 

Next  morning  the  men  went  out  in  search  of  dry 
willows,  and  collected  eight  large  fagots,  with  which 
they  formed  a  more  buoyant  raft  than  the  former,  but 
the  wind  being  still  adverse  and  strong)  they  delayed 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


289 


attempting  to  cross  until  a  more  favorable  opportunity. 
Pleased,  however,  with  the  appearance  of  this  raft, 
they  collected  some  tripe  de  roche,  and  made  a  cheer- 
ful supper.  Dr.  Bichardson  was  gaining  strength,  but 
his  leg  was  much  swelled  and  very  painful.  Aff  ob- 
servation for  latitude  placed  the  encampment  in 
Q^""  00'  00"  N.,  the  longitude  being  112°  20*  00"  W., 
deduced  from  the  last  observation. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  October,  the  wind  was 
strong,  and  the  weather  as  unfavorable  as  before  for 
crossing  on  the  raft.  We  were  rejoiced  to  see  Mr. 
Back  and  his  party  in  the  afternoon.  They  had  tra- 
ced the  lake  about  fifteen  miles  farther  than  we  did, 
and  found  it  undoubtedly  connected,  as  we  had  sup- 
posed, with  the  lake  we  fell  upon  on  the  22d  of  Sep- 
tember, and  dreading,  as  we  had  done,  the  idea  of 
coasting  its  barren  shores,  they  returned  to  make  an 
attempt  at  crossing  here.  St.  Germain  now  proposed 
to  make  a  canoe  of  the  fragments  of  painted  canvass, 
in  which  we  wrapped  up  our  bedding.  This  scheme 
appearing  practicable,  a  party  was  sent  to  our  encamp- 
ment of  the  24th  and  25  th  last,  to  collect  pitch  amongst 
the  small  pines  that  grew  there,  to  pay  over  the  seams 
of  the  canoe. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  which 
continued  all  the  night.  A  small  quantity  of  tripe  de 
roche  was  gathered  ;  and  Credit,  who  had  been  hunt- 


13 


290 


Tliirty  Years 


ing,  brought  in  the  antlers  and  back  bono  of  a  deer 
which  had  been  killed  in  the  summer.  The  wolves 
and  birds  of  prey  had  picked  them  clean,  but  there 
still  remained  a  quantity  of  the  spinal  marrow  which 
they  had  not  been  able  to  extract.  This,  although 
putrid,  was  esteemed  a  valuable  prize,  and  the  spine 
being  divided  into  portions,  was  distributed  equally. 
After  eating  the  marrow,  which  was  so  acrid  as  to  ex- 
crociate  the  lips,  we  rendered  the  bones  friable  by  burn- 
ing, and  ate  them  also. 

On  the  following  morning  the  ground  was  covered 
with  snow  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  and  a  half,  and  the 
weather  was  very  stormy.  These  circumstances  ren- 
dered the  men  again  extremely  despondent ;  a  settled 
gloom  hung  over  their  countenances,  and  they  refused 
to  pick  tripe  de  roche,  choosing  rather  to  go  entirely 
without  ea^ng,  than  to  make  any  exertion.  The 
party  which  went  for  gum  returned  early  in  the  morn- 
ing without  having  found  any  ;  but  St.  Germain  said 
he  could  still  make  the  canoe  with  the  willows  cover- 
ed with  the  canvass,  and  removed  with  Adam  to  a 
clump  of  willows  for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Back  accom- 
panied them  to  stimulate  his  exertion,  as  we  feared 
the  lowness  of  his  spirits  would  cause  him  to  be  slow 
in  his  operations.  Augustus  went  to  fish  at  the  rapid, 
but  a  large  trout  having  carried  away  his  bait,  we  had 
nothing  to  replace  it. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


291 


The  snow  storm  continued  all  the  night,  and  during 
the  forenoon  of  the  3d.  Having  persuaded  the  people 
to  gather  some  tripe  de  roche,  I  partook  of  a  meal 
with  them  ;  and  afterwards  set  out  with  the  inten- 
tion of  going  to  St.  Germain  to  hasten  his  operations, 
but  though  he  was  only  three-quarters  of  a  mile  dis- 
tant, I  spent  three  hours  in  a  vain  attempt  to  reach 
him,  my  strength  being  unequal  to  ^-ho  labor  of  wad- 
ing through  the  deep  snow  ;  and  I  returned  quite  ex- 
hausted, and  much  shaken  by  the  numerous  falls  1 
had  got.  My  associates  were  all  in  the  same  debilita- 
ted state,  and  poor  Hood  was  reduced  to  a  perfect 
shadow,  from  the  severe  bowel  complaints  which  the 
trijoe  de  roche  never  failed  to  give  him.  Back  was  so 
feeble  as  to  require  the  support  of  a  stick  in  walking  ; 
and  Dr.  Richardson  had  lameness  superadded  to  weak- 
ness. The  voyagers  were  somewhat  stronger  than 
ourselves,  but  more  indisposed  to  exertion,  on  account 
of  their  despondency.  The  sensation  of  hunger  was 
no  longer  felt  by  any  of  us,  yet  we  were  scarcely  able 
to  converse  upon  any  other  subject  than  the  pleasures 
of  eating.  We  were  much  indebted  to  Hepburn  at 
this  crisis.  The  officers  were  unable  from  weakness 
to  gather  tripe  de  roche  themselves,  and  Samandr^, 
who  had  acted  as  our  cook  on  the  journey  from  the 
coast,  sharing  in  the  despair  of  the  rest  of  the  Cana- 
dians, refused  to  make  the  slightest  exertions.     Hep- 


292 


Thirty   Tears 


burn,  on  ilS  contrary,  animated  by  a  firm  reliance  on 
the  beneficence  of  the  Supreme  Being,  tempered  with 
resignation  to  his  will,  was  indefatigable  in  his  exer- 
tions to  serve  us,  and  daily  collected  all  the  tripe  de 
roche  that  was  used  in  the  officers'  mess.  Mr.  Hood 
could  not  partake  of  this  miserable  fare,  and  a  par- 
tridge which  had  been  reserved  for  him  was,  I  lament 
to  say,  this  day  stolen  by  one  of  the  men. 

Oct.  4. — The  canoe  being  finished,  it  was  brought 
to  the  encampment,  and  the  whole  party  being  assem- 
bled in  anxious  expectation  on  the  beach,  St.  Ger- 
main embarked,  and  amidst  our  prayers  for  his  success, 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  opposite  shore.  The  canoe 
was  then  drawn  back  again,  and  another  person  trans- 
ported, and  in  this  manner,  by  drawing  it  backwards 
and  forwards,  they  were  all  conveyed  over  without  any 
seriou.  accident.  By  these  frequent  traverses  the  ca- 
noe was  materially  injured  ;  and  latterly  it  filled  each 
time  with  water  before  reaching  the  shore,  so  that  aU 
our  garments  and  bedding  were  wet,  and  there  was 
not  a  sufficiency  of  willows  upon  the  side  on  which 
we  now  were,  to  make  a  fire  to  dry  them. 

That  no  time  might  be  lost  in  procuring  relief,  I 
immediately  despatched  Mr.  Back  with  St.  Germain, 
Solomon  Belanger,  and  Beauparlant,  to  search  for  the 
Indians,  directing  him  to  go  to  Fort  Enterprize,  where 
we  expected  they  would  be,  or  where,  at  least,  a  note 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


293 


from  Mr.  Wentzel  would  be  found  to  direct  us  in  our 
search  for  ihem.  If  St.  Germain  should  kill  any  ani- 
mals on  his  way,  a  portion  of  the  meat  was  to  be 
put  up  securely  for  us,  and  conspicuous  marks  placed 
over  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  more  gratifying  change 
than  was  produced  in  our  voyagers  after  we  were  all 
safely  landed  on  the  southern  banks  of  the  river. 
Their  spirits  immediately  revived,  each  of  them  shook 
the  officers  cordially  by  the  hand,  and  declared  they 
now  considered  the  worst  of  their  difficulties  over,  as 
they  did  not  doubt  of  reaching  Fort  Enterprize  in  a 
few  days,  even  in  their  feeble  condition.  We  had  in- 
deed every  reason  to  be  grateful,  and  our  joy  would 
have  been  complete  were  it  not  mingled  with  sincere 
regret  at  the  separation  of  our  poor  Esquimaux,  the 
faithful  Junius. 

The  want  oi  tripe  de  roche  caused  us  to  go  supper- 
less  to  bed.  Showers  of  snow  fell  frequently  during 
the  night.  The  breeze  was  light  next  morning,  the 
weather  cold  and  clear.  We  were  all  on  foot  by  day- 
break, but  from  the  frozen  state  of  our  tents  and  bed 
clothes,  it  was  long  before  the  bundles  could  be  made, 
and  as  usual  the  men  lingered  over  a  small  fire  they 
had  kindled,  so  that  it  was  eight  o'clock  before  we 
started.  Our  advance  from  the  depth  of  the  snow  was 
slow,  and  about  noon  coming  to  a  spot  where  there 


294 


Tliirty  Tears 


was  some  tripe  de  roche,  we  stopped  to  collect  it,  and 
breakfasted.     Mr.  Hood,  who  was  now  very  feeble,  and 
Dr.  Richardson,  who  attached  himself  to  him,  walked 
together  at  a  gentle  pace  in  the  rear  of  the  party.     I 
kept  with  the  foremost  men,  to  cause  them  to  halt  oc- 
casionally, until  the  stragglers  came  up.     Resuming 
our  march  after  breakfast,  we  followed  the  track  of 
Mr.  Back's  party,  and  encamped  early,  as  all  of  us 
were  much  fatigued,  particularly  Cr6dit,  who  having 
to-day  carried  the  men's  tent,  it  being  his  turn  to  do 
so,  was  so  exhausted,  that  when  he  reached  the  en- 
campment he  was  unable  to  stand.    The  ti^ipe  de  roche^ 
disagreed  with  this  man  and  with  Vaillant,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  they  were  the  first  whose  strength 
totally  failed.     We  had  a  small  quantity  of  this  weed 
in  the  evening,  and  the  rest  of  our  supper  was  made 
up  of  scraps  of  roasted  leather.     The  distance  walked 
to-day  was  six  miles.     As  Credit  was  very  weak  in 
the  morning,  his  load  was  reduced  to  little  more  than 
his  personal  luggage,  consisting  of  his  blanket,  shoes, 
and  gun.     Previous  to  setting  out,  the  whole  party 
ate  the  remains  of  their  old  shoes,  and  whatever 
scraps  of  leather  they  had,  to  strengthen  their  stomachs 
for  the  fatigue  of  the  day's  journey.     We  left  the  en- 
campment at  nine,  and  pursued  our  route  over  a  range 
of  bleak  hills.     The  wind  having  increased  to  a  strong 
gale  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  became  piercingly 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


295 


J. 

cold,  and  the  drift  rendered  it  difficult  for  tliose  in  the 
rear  to  follow  the  track  over  the  heights,  whilst  in  the 
valleys,  where  it  was  sufficiently  marked,  from  the 
depth  of  the  snow,  the  labor  of  walking  was  propor- 
tionably  great.  Those  in  advance  made  as  usual  fre- 
quent halts,  yet  being  unable  from  the  severity  of  the 
weather  to  remain  long  still,  they  were  obliged  to  move 
on  before  the  rear  could  come  up,  and  the  party,  of 
course,  straggled  very  much. 

About  noon  Samandrd  coming  up,  informed  us  that 
Credit  and  Vaillant  could  advance  no  further.  Some 
willows  being  discovered  in  a  valley  near  to  us,  I  pro- 
posed to  halt  the  party  there  whilst  Dr.  Richardson 
went  back  to  visit  them.  I  hoped  too,  that  when  the 
sufferers  received  the  information  of  a  fire  being  kin- 
dled at  so  short  a  distance,  they  would  be  cheend,  and 
use  their  utmost  efforts  to  reach  it,  but  this  proved  a 
vain  hope.  The  Doctor  found  Valliant  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  the  rear,  much  exhausted  with  cold  and 
fatigue.  Having  encouraged  him  to  advance  to  the 
fire,  after  repeated  solicitations  he  made  the  attempt, 
but  fell  down  amongst  the  deep  snow  at  every  step. 
Leaving  him  in  this  situation,  the  Doctor  went  about 
half  a  mile  farther  back,  to  the  spot  where  Credit  was 
said  to  have  halted,  and  the  track  being  nearly  oblite- 
rated by  the  snow  drift,  it  became  unsafe  for  him  to 
go  further.     Returning  he  passed  Vaillant,  who  hav- 


296 


Thirty  Tears 


ing  moved  only  a  few  yards  in  his  absence,  had  fallen 
down,  was  unable  to  rise,  and  could  scarcely  ans\»er 
his  questions.  Being  unable  to  afford  him  any  effec- 
tual assistance,  he  helstened  on  to  inform  us  of  his  situ- 
ation. When  J.  B.  Belanger  had  heard  the  melan- 
choly account,  he  went  immediately  to  aid  Vaillant, 
and  bring  up  his  burden.  Respecting  Credit,  we  were 
informed  by  Samandrd,  that  he  had  stopped  a  short 
distance  behind  Vaillant,  but  that  his  intention  was 
to  return  to  the  encampment  of  the  preceding  even- 
ing. 

■  When  Belanger  came  back  with  Yaillant's  load,  he 
informed  us  that  he  had  found  him  lying  on  his  back, 
benumbed  with  cold,  and  incapable  of  being  roused. 
The  stoutest  men  of  the  party  were  now  earnestly  en- 
treated to  bring  him  to  the  fire,  but  they  declared 
themselves  unequal  to  the  task  ;  and,  on  the  contrary, 
urged  me  to  allow  them  to  throw  down  their  loads, 
and  proceed  to  FortEnterprize  with  the  utmost  speed. 
A  compliance  with  their  desire  would  have  caused  the 
loss  of  the  whole  party,  for  the  men  were  totally  ig- 
norant of  the  course  to  be  taken,  and  none  of  the  offi- 
cers, who  could  have  directed  the  march,  were  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  keep  up  at  the  pace  they  would  then 
walk ;  besides,  even  supposing  them  to  have  found 
their  way,  the  strongest  men  would  certainly  have 
deserted  the  weak.     Something,  however,  was  abso- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


297 


lately  necessary  to  be  done,  to  relieve  them  as  much 
as  possible  from  their  burdens,  and  the  officers  con- 
sulted on  the  subject.  Mr.  Hood  and  Dr.  Eichardson 
proposed  to  remain  behind,  with  a  single  attendant, 
at  the  first  place  where  sufficient  wood  and  tripe  de 
roche  should  be  found  for  ten  days'  consumption  ;  and 
that  I  should  proceed  as  expeditiously  as  possible  with 
the  men  to  the  house,  and  thence  send  them  imme- 
diate relief.  They  strongly  urged  that  this  arrange- 
ment would  contribute  to  the  safety  of  the  rest  of  the 
party,  by  relieving  them  from  the  burden  of  a  tent, 
and  several  other  articles  ;  and  that  they  might  afford 
aid  to  Credit,  if  he  should  unexpectedly  come  up.  I 
was  distressed  beyond  description  at  the  thought  of 
leaving  them  in  such  a  dangerous  situation,  and  for  a 
long  time  combated  their  proposal ;  but  they  strenu- 
ously urged,  that  this  step  afforded  the  only  chance  of 
safety  for  the  party,  and  I  reluctantly  acceded  to  it. 
The  ammunition,  of  which  we  had  a  small  barrel, 
was  also  to  be  left  with  them,  and  it  was  hoped  that 
this  deposit  would  be  a  strong  inducement  for  the 
Indians  to  venture  across  the  barren  grounds  to  their 
aid.  We  communicated  this  resolution  to  the  men, 
who  were  cheered  at  the  slightest  prospect  of  allevia- 
tion of  their  present  miseries,  and  they  promised  with 
great  appearance  of  earnestness  to  return  to  those  offi- 
cers, upon  the  first  supply  of  food. 


13* 


298 


Thirty  Years 


The  party  then  moved  on  ;  Vuillant's  blanket  and 
other  nccoBsarios  were  left  in  the  track,  at  the  request 
of  the  Canadians,  without  any  hope,  however,  of  his 
being  able  to  reach  them.  After  marching  until  dusk 
without  seeing  a  favorable  place  for  encamping,  night 
compelled  us  to  take  shelter  under  the  lee  of  a  hill, 
amongst  somo  willows,  with  which,  after  many  at- 
tempts, we  at  length  made  a  fire.  It  was  not  suffi- 
cient, however,  to  warm  the  whole  party,  much  less  to 
thaw  our  shoes  ;  and  the  weather  not  permitting  the 
gathering  of  tripe  de  rochet  we  had  nothing  to  cook. 
,  The  painful  retrospection  of  the  melancholy  events 
of  the  day  banished  sleep,  and  we  shuddered  as  wo  con- 
templated the  dreadful  efft^cts  of  this  bitterly  cold  night 
on  our  two  companions,  if  still  living.  Some  faint 
hopes  were  entertained  of  Credit's  surviving  the  storm, 
as  be  was  provided  with  a  good  blanket,  and  had 
leather  to  eat. 

The  weather  was  mild  next  morning.  We  left  the 
encampment  at  nine,  and  a  little  before  noon  came  to 
a  pretty  extensive  thicket  of  small  willows,  near  which 
there  appeared  a  supply  of  tripe  de  roche  on  the  face 
of  the  rocks.  At  this  place  Dr.  Eichardson  and  Mr. 
Hood  determined  to  remain,  with  John  Hepburn,  who 
volunteered  to  stop  with  them.  The  tent  was  securely 
pitched,  a  few  willows  collected,  and  the  ammunition 
a  nd  all  other  articles  were  deposited,  except  each  man's 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


299 


clothing,  one  tent,  a  sufiicicncy  of  ammunition  for  the 
journey,  and  the  officer's  journals.  I  had  only  one 
blanket,  which  was  carried  for  mo,  and  two  pair  of 
shoes.  Tlie  offer  was  now  made  for  any  of  the  men, 
who  felt  themselves  too  weak  to  proceed,  to  remain 
with  the  officers,  but  none  of  them  accepted  it.  Mi- 
chel alone  felt  some  inclination  to  do  so.  After  wo 
had  united  in  thanksgiving  and  prayers  to  Almighty 
Ood,  I  separated  from  my  companions,  deeply  afflicted 
that  a  train  of  melancholy  circumstances  should  have 
demanded  of  me  the  severe  trial  of  parting  from  friends 
in  such  a  condition,  who  had  become  endeared  to  me 
by  their  constant  kindness,  and  co-operation,  and  a 
participation  of  numerous  sufferings.  This  trial  I 
could  not  have  been  induced  to  undergo,  but  for  the 
reasons  they  had  so  strongly  urged  the  day  before,  to 
which  my  own  judgment  assented,  and  for  the  san- 
guine hope  I  felt  of  either  finding  a  supply  of  pro- 
vision at  Fort  Enterprize,  or  meeting  the  Indians  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  that  place,  according  to  my 
arrangements  with  Mr.  Wentzel  and  Akaitcho.  Pre- 
viously to  our  starting,  Peltier  and  Benoit  repeated 
their  promises,  to  return  to  them  with  provision,  if 
any  should  be  found  at  the  house,  or  to  guide  the 
Indians  to  them,  if  any  were  met. 

Greatly  as  Mr.  Hood  was  exhausted,  and,  indeed, 
incapable  as  he  must  have  proved,  of  encountering  the 


'f 


300 


Thirty  Years 


fatigue  of  our  next  day's  journey,  so  that  I  felt  his 
resolution  to  be  prudent,  I  was  sensible  that  his  deter- 
mination to  remain,  was  mainly  prompted  by  the  dis- 
interested and  generous  wish  to  remove  impediments 
to  the  progress  of  the  rest  of  the  party.  Dr.  Richard- 
son and  Hepburn,  who  were  both  in  a  state  of  strength 
to  keep  pace  with  the  men,  beside  this  motive  which 
they  shared  with  him,  were  influenced  in  their  resolu- 
tion to  remain  ;  the  former  by  the  desire  which  had 
distinguished  his  character,  throughout  the  expedition, 
of  devoting  himself  to  the  succor  of  the  weak,  and 
the  latter  by  the  zealous  attachment  he  had  ever 
shewn  towards  his  officers. 
#•  We  set  out  without  waiting  to  take  any  of  the 

tripe  de  roche,  and  walked  at  a  tolerable  pace,  and  in 
an  hour  arrived  at  a  fine  group  of  pines,  about  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  from  the  tent.  We  sincerely  regretted 
not  having  seen  these  before  we  had  separated  from 
our  companions,  as  they  would  have  been  better  sup- 
plied with  fuel  here,  and  there  appeared  to  be  more 
tripe  de  roche  than  where  we  had  left  them. 

Descending  afterwards  into  a  more  level  country, 
we  found  the  snow  very  deep,  and  the  labor  of  wading 
through  it  so  fatigued  the  whole  party,  that  we  were 
compelled  to  encamp,  after  a  march  of  four  miles  and 
a  half.  Belanger  and  Michel  were  left  far  behind, 
and  when  they  arrived  at  the  encampment  appeared 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


301 


quite  exhausted.  The  former,  bursting  into  tears, 
declared  his  inability  to  proceed  with  the  party,  and 
begged  me  to  let  him  go  back  next  morning  to  the 
tent,  and  shortly  afterwards  Michel  made  the  same 
request.  I  was  in  hopes  they  might  recover  a  little 
strength  by  the  night's  rest,  and  therefore  deferred 
giving  any  permission  until  the  morning.  The  sud- 
den failure  in  the  strength  of  these  men  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  rest,  which  I  tried  in  vain  to  remove,  by  re- 
peated assnrances  that  the  distance  to  Fort  Enterprize 
was  short,  and  that  we  should,  in  all  probability,  reach 
it  in  four  days.  Not  being  able  to  find  any  tripe  de 
roche,  we  drank  an  infusion  of  the  Labrador  tea  plant, 
(ledum  palustre,)  and  ate  a  few  morsels  of  burnt 
leather  for  supper.  We  were  unable  to  raise  the  tent, 
and  found  its  weight  too  great  to  carry  it  on ;  we, 
therefore,  cut  it  up,  and  took  a  part  of  the  canvass  for 
a  cover.  The  night  was  bitterly  cold,  and  though  we 
lay  as  close  to  each  other  as  possible,  having  no  shel- 
ter, we  could  not  keep  ourselves  sufficiently  warm  to 
sleep.  A  strong  gale  came  on  after  midnight,  which 
increased  the  severity  of  the  weather.  In  the  morning 
Belanger  and  Michel  renewed  their  request  to  be  per- 
mitted to  go  back  to  the  tent,  assuring  me  they  were 
Btill  weaker  than  on  the  preceding  evening,  and  less 
capable  of  going  forward  ;  and  they  urged,  that  the 
stopping  at  a  place  where  there  was  a  supply  of  tripe 


■l^i"' 


302 


Thirty  Years 


de  roche  was  their  only  chance  of  preserving  life  ;  un- 
der these  circumstances,  I  could  not  do  otherwise  than 
yield  to  their  desire.  I  wrote  a  note  to  Dr.  Richard- 
son and  Mr.  Hood,  informing  them  of  the  pines  we 
had  passed,  and  recommending  their  removing  thitheri 
Having  found  that  Michel  was  carrying  a  considerable 
quantity  of  ammunition,  I  desired  him  to  divide  it 
among  my  party,  leaving  him  only  ten  balls  and  a  lit- 
tle shot,  to  kill  any  animals  he  might  meet  on  his 
way  to  the  tent.  This  man  was  very  particular  in  his 
inquiries  respecting  the  direction  of  the  house,  and 
the  course  we  meant  to  pursue  ;  he  also  said,  that  if 
he  should  be  able,  he  would  go  and  search  for  Vail- 
lant  and  Credit ;  and  he  requested  my  permission  to 
take  Vaillant's  blanket,  if  he  should  find  it,  to  which 
I  agreed,  and  mentioned  it  in  my  notes  to  the  officers. 
Scarcely  were  these  arrangements  finished,  before 
Perrault  and  Fontano  were  seized  with  a  fit  of  dizzi- 
ness, and  betrayed  other  symptoms  of  extreme  debility. 
Some  tea  was  quickly  prepared  for  them,  and  after 
drinking  it,  and  eating  a  few  morsels  of  burnt  leather, 
they  recovered,  and  expressed  their  desire  to  go  for- 
ward ;  but  the  other  men,  alarmed  at  what  they  had 
just  witnessed,  became  doubtful  of  their  own  strength, 
and,  giving  way  to  absolute  dejection,  declared  their 
own  inability  to  move.  I  now  earnestly  pressed  upon 
them  the  necessity  of  continuing  our  journey,  as  the 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


303 


only  means  of  saving  their  own  lives,  as  well  as  those 
of  oiir  friends  at  the  tent ;  and,  after  much  entreaty, 
got  them  to  set  out  at  ten  A.M. :  Belanger  and  Michel 
were  left  at  the  encampment,  and  proposed  to  start 
shortly  afterwards.  By  the  time  we  had  gone  about 
two  hundred  yards,  Perrault  became  again  dizzy,  and 
desired  us  to  halt,  which  we  did,  until  he,  recovering, 
proposed  to  march  on.  Ten  minutes  more  had  hardly 
elapsed  before  he  again  desired  us  to  stop,  and,  burst- 
ing into  tears,  declared  he  was  totally  exhausted,  and 
unable  to  accompany  us  further.  As  the  encampment 
was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  we  pro- 
posed that  he  should  return  to  it,  and  rejoin  Belanger 
and  Michel,  whom  we  knew  to  be  still  there,  from 
perceiving  the  smoke  of  a  fresh  fire  ;  and  because  they 
had  not  made  any  preparation  for  starting  when  we 
Jeft  them.  He  readily  acquiesced  in  the  proposition, 
and  having  taken  a  friendly  leave  of  each  of  us,  and 
enjoined  us  to  make  all  the  haste  we  could  in  sending 
relief,  he  turned  back,  keeping  his  gun  and  ammuni- 
tion. We  watched  him  until  he  was  near  to  the  fire, 
and  then  proceeded.  During  these  detentions,  Augus- 
tus becoming  impatient  of  the  delay,  had  walked  on, 
and  we  lost  sight  of  him.  The  labor  we  experienced 
in  wading  through  the  deep  snow  induced  us  to  cross 
a  moderate  sized  lake,  which  lay  in  our  track,  but  we 
found  this  operation  far  more  harassing.      As  the  sur- 


304 


ITiirtij  Years 


,r% 


face  of  the  ice  was  perfectly  smooth,  we  slipt  at  almost 
every  step,  and  were  frequently  blown  down  by  the 
wind  with  such  force  as  to  shake  our  whole  frames. 
Poor  Fontano  was  completely  exhausted  by  the  la- 
bor of  making  this  traverse,  and  we  made  a  halt  until 
his  strength  was  recruited,  by  which  time  the  party 
was  benumbed  with  cold.  Proceeding  again,  he  got 
on  tolerably  well  for  a  little  time,  but  being  again 
seized  with  faintness  and  dizziness,  he  fell  often,  and 
at  length  exclaimed  that  he  could  go  no  further.  We 
immediately  stopped,  and  endeavored  to  encourage 
him  to  persevere,  until  we  should  find  some  willows, 
to  encamp ;  he  insisted,  however,  that  he  could  not 
march  any  longer  through  this  deep  snow  ;  and  said, 
that  if  he  should  even  reach  our  encampment  this 
evening,  he  must  be  left  there,  provided  trijpe  de  roche 
could  not  be  procured  to  recruit  his  strength.  The 
poor  man  was  overwhelmed  with  grief,  and  seemed  de- 
sirous to  remain  at  that  spot.  We  were  about  two 
miles  from  the  place  where  the  other  men  had  been 
left,  and  as  the  track  to  it  was  beaten,  we  proposed  to 
him  to  return  thither,  as  we  thought  it  probable  he 
would  find  the  men  still  there  :  at  any  rate  he  would 
be  able  to  get  fuel  to  keep  him  warm  during  the  night ; 
and,  on  the  next  day,  he  could  follow  their  track  to 
the  officers'  tent ;  and,  should  the  path  be  covered  by 
the  snow,  the  pines  we  had  passed  yesterday  would 
guide  him,  as  they  were  yet  in  view. 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


305 


I  cannot  describe  my  anguish  on  the  occasion  of 
separating  from  another  companion  under  circumstan- 
ces so  distressing.  There  was,  however,  no  alternative. 
The  extreme  debility  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  put  the 
carrying  him  quite  out  of  the  question,  as  he  himself 
admitted  ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  frequent  delays 
he  must  occasion  if  he  accompanied  us,  and  did  not 
gain  strength,  must  have  endangered  the  lives  of  the 
whole.  By  returning  he  had  the  prospect  of  getting 
to  the  tent  where  trijpe  de  roche  could  be  obtained, 
which  agreed  with  him  better  than  with  any  other  of 
the  party,  and  which  he  was  always  very  assiduous  in 
gathering.  After  some  hesitation  he  determined  on 
returning,  and  set  out,  having  bid  each  of  us  farewell 
in  the  tenderest  manner. .  We  watched  him  with  in- 
expressible anxiety  for  some  time,  and  were  rejoiced  to 
find,  though  he  had  got  on  slowly,  that  he  kept  on  his 
legs  better  than  before.  Antonio  Fontano  was  an 
Italian,  and  had  served  many  years  in  De  Meuron's 
regiment.  He  had  spoken  to  me  that  very  morning, 
and  after  his  first  attack  of  dizziness,  about  his  father  ; 
and  had  begged,  that  should  he  survive,  I  would  take 
him  with  me  to  England,  and  put  him  in  the  way  of 
reaching  home. 

The  party  was  now  reduced  to  five  persons,  Adam, 
Peltier,  Benoit,  Samandrd,  and  myself.  Continuing 
the  journey,  we  came,  after  an  hour's  walk,  to  some 


306 


TJdrty  Years 


willows,  and  encamped  under  the  shelter  of  a  rock, 
having  walked  in  the  whole  four  miles  and  a  half. 
We  made  an  attempt  to  gather  some  tripe  de  roche, 
but  could  not,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  weather. 
Our  supper,  therefore,  consisted  of  tea  and  a  few  mor- 
sels of  leather. 

Augustus  did  not  make  his  appearance,  but  we  felt 
no  alarm  at  his  absence,  supposing  he  would  go  to  the 
tent  if  he  missed  our  track.  Having  fire,  we  procured 
a  little  sleep.  Next  morning  the  breeze  was  light  and 
the  weather  mild,  which  enabled  us  to  collect  some 
tripe  de  roche,  and  to  enjoy  the  only  meal  we  had  for 
four  days.  We  derived  great  benefit  from  it,  and 
walked  with  considerably  more  ease  than  yesterday. 
Without  the  strength  it  supplied,  we  should  certainly 
have  been  unable  to  oppose  the  strong  breeze  we  had 
in  the  afternoon.  After  walking  about  five  miles,  we 
came  upon  the  borders  of  Marten  Lake,  and  were  re- 
joiced to  find  it  frozen,  so  that  we  could  continue  oui 
course  straight  for  Fort  Enterprize.  We  encamped  at 
the  first  rapid  in  Winter  River  amidst  willows  and  al- 
ders ;  but  these  were  so  frozen,  and  the  snow  fell  so  thick, 
that  the  men  had  great  difficulty  in  making  a  fire. 
This  proving  insufficient  to  warm  us,  or  even  thaw 
our  shoes,  and  having  no  food  to  prepare,  we  crept 
under  our  blankets.  The  arrival  in  a  well  known  part 
raised  the  spirits  of  the  men  to  a  high  pitch,  and  we 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


307 


kept  up  a  cheerful  conversation  until  sleep  overpowered 
U8.  The  night  was  very  stormy,  and  the  morning 
scarcely  less  so  ;  but,  being  desirous  to  reach  the 
house  to-day,  we  commenced  our  journey  very  early. 
We  were  gratified  by  the  sight  of  a  large  herd  of  rein- 
deer on  the  side  of  the  hill  near  the  track,  but  our 
only  hunter,  Adam,  was  too  feeble  to  pursue  them. 
Our  shoes  and  garments  were  stiffened  by  the  frost, 
and  we  walked  in  great  pain  until  we  arrived  at  some 
stunted  pines,  at  which  we  halted,  made  a  good  fire, 
and  procured  the  refreshment  of  tea.  The  weather 
becoming  fine  in  the  afternoon,  we  continued  our 
journey,  passed  the  Dog-rib  Rock,  and  encamped 
among  a  clump  of  pines  of  considerable  growth,  about 
a  mile  further  on.  Here  we  enjoyed  the  comfort  of  a 
large  fire  for  the  first  time  since  our  departure  from 
the  sea  coast ;  but  this  gratification  was  purchased  at 
the  expense  of  many  severe  falls  that  we  had  in  cross- 
ing a  stony  valley,  to  get  to  these  pines.  There  was 
no  tripe  de  roche,  and  we  drank  tea  and  ate  some  of 
our  shoes  for  supper.  Next  morning,  after  taking  the 
usual  repast  of  tea,  we  proceeded  to  the  house.  Mus- 
ing on  what  we  were  likely  to  find  there,  our  minds 
were  agitated  between  hope  and  fear,  and,  contrary  to 
the  custom  we  had  kept  up,  of  supporting  our  spirits 
by  conversation,  we  went  silently  forward. 
At  length  we  reached  Fort  Enterprize,  and  to  our 


-  i 


308 


Thirty  Years 


infinite  disappointment  and  grief  found  it  a  perfectly 
desolate  habitation.  There  was  no  deposit  of  pro- 
vision, no  trace  of  the  Indians,  no  letter  from  llr, 
Wentzel  to  point  out  where  the  Indians  might  be 
found.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  describe  our 
sensations  after  entering  this  miserable  abode,  and 
discovering  how  we  had  been  neglected  ;  the  whole 
party  shed  tears,  not  so  much  for  our  own  fate,  as  for 
that  of  our  friends  in  the  rear,  whose  lives  depended 
entirely  on  our  sending  immediate  relief  from  this 
place. 

I  found  a  note,  however,  from  Mr.  Back,  stating 
that  he  had  reached  the  house  two  days  ago,  and  waa 
going  in  search  of  the  Indians,  at  a  part  where  St. 
Germain  deemed  it  probable  they  might  be  found.  If 
he  was  unsuccessful,  he  purposed  walking  to  Fort 
Providence,  and  sending  succor  from  thence.  But  he 
doubted  whether  he  or  his  party  could  perform  the 
journey  to  that  place  in  their  present  debilitated  state. 
It  was  evident  that  any  supply  that  could  be  sent 
from  Fort  Providence  would  be  long  in  reaching  us, 
and  could  not  be  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  afford  any 
assistance  to  our  companions  behind,  and  that  the  only 
relief  for  them  must  be  procured  from  the  Indians.  I 
resolved,  therefore,  on  going  also  in  search  of  them  ; 
but  my  companions  were  absolutely  incapable  of  pro- 
ceeding, and  I  thought,  by  halting  two  or  three  days, 


In  the  Artie  RegionB. 


809 


they  might  gather  a  little  strength,  whilst  the  delay 
woi^ld  afford  us  the  chance  of  learning  whether  Mr. 
Back  had  seen  the  Indians. 

We  now  looked  round  for  the  means  of  suhsistence, 
and  were  gratified  to  find  several  deer  skins,  which 
had  been  thrown  away  during  our  former  residence. 
The  bones  were  gathered  from  the  heap  of  ashes,  these 
with  the  skins,  and  the  addition  of  tripe  de  roche,  we 
considered  would  support  us  tolerably  well  for  a  time. 
As  to  the  house,  the  parchment  being  torn  from  the 
windows,    the  apartment  we  selected  for  our  abode 
vf&a  exposed  to  all  the  rigor  of  the  season.     We  en- 
deavored to  exclude  the  wind  as  much  as  possible,  by 
placing  loose  boards  against  the  apertures.     The  tem- 
perature was  now  between  15°  and  20^  below  zero. 
We   procured  fuel  by  pulling  up  the  flooring  of  the 
other  rooms,  and  water  for  the  purpose  of  cooking  by 
melting  the  snow.     Whilst  we  were  seated  round  the 
fire,  singing  the  deer  skin  for  supper,  we  were  rejoiced 
by  the  unexpected  entrance  of  Augustus.     He  had 
followed  quite  a  different  course  from  ours,  and  the 
circumstance  of  his  having  found  his  way  through  a 
part  of  the  country  he  had  never  been  in  before,  must 
be  considered  a  remarkable  proof  of  sagacity.     The 
unusual  carliness  of  this  winter  became  manifest  to  us 
from  the   state  of  things  at  this  spot.     Last  year  at 
the  same  season,  and  still  later,  there  had  been  very 


■ 


310 


Thirty  Years 


little  snow  on  the  ground,  and  we  were  surrounded  by 
vast  herds  of  reindeer.  Now  there  were  but  few 
recent  tracks  of  these  animals,  and  the  snow  was  up- 
wards of  two  feet  deep.  Winter  River  was  then  open, 
now  it  was  frozen  two  feet  thick. 

When  I  arose  the  following  morning,  my  body  and 
limbs  were  so  swollen  that  I  was  unable  to  walk  more 
than  a  few  yards.  Adam  was  in  a  still  worse  condi- 
tion, being  absolutely  incapable  oi  rising  without  as- 
sistance. My  other  companions  fortunately  experienced 
this  inconvenience  in  a  less  degree,  and  went  to  col- 
lect bones,  and  some  tripe  de  roche,  which  supplied 
us  with  two  meals.  The  bones  were  quite  acrid,  and 
the  soup  extracted  from  them  excoriated  the  mouth 
if  taken  alone,  but  it  was  somewhat  milder  when 
boiled  with  tripe  de  roche,  and  we  even  thought  the 
mixture  palatable,  with  the  addition  of  salt,  of  which 
a  cask  had  been  fortunately  left  here  in  the  spring. 
Augustus  to-day  set  two  fishing-lines  below  the  rapid. 
On  his  way  thither  he  saw  two  deer,  but  had  not 
strength  to  follow  them. 

On  the  13th  the  wind  blew  violently  from  south- 
east, and  the  snow  drifted  so  much,  that  the  party 
was  confined  to  the  house.  In  the  afternoon  of  the 
following  day  Belanger  arrived  with  a  note  from  Mr. 
Back,  stating  that  he  had  seen  no  trace  of  the  Indians, 
and  desiring  further  instructions  as  to  the  course  he 


In  tht  Arctic  Begions. 


311 


uth- 
larty 
the 
Mr. 
ans, 
he 


should    pursue.     Belanger's   situation,   however,   re- 
quired our  first  care,  as  he  came  in  almost  speechless, 
and  covered  with  ice,  having  fallen  into  a  rapid,  and 
for  the  third  time  since  we  left  the  coast,  narrowly  es- 
caped drowning.     He  did  not  recover  sufficiently  to 
answer  our  questions,  until  we  had  ruhbed  him  for 
some  time,  changed  his   dress,  and  given  him  some 
warm  soup.     My  companions  nursed  him    with  the 
greatest  kindness,  and  the  desire  of  restoring  him  to 
health  seemed  to  absorb  all  regard  for  their  own  situ- 
ation.    I  witnessed   with  peculiar  pleasure  this  con- 
duct, so  diflferent  from  that  which  they  had  recently 
pursued,  when  every  tender  feeling  was  suspended  by 
the  desire  of  self-preservation.     They  now  no  longer 
betrayed  impatience  or  despondency,  but  were  qom- 
posed  and  cheerful,  and  had  entirely  given  up  the 
practice  of  swearing,  to  which  the  Canadian  voyagers 
are  so  lamentably  addicted.     Our  conversation  natu- 
rally turned  upon  the  prospect  of  getting  relief,  and 
upon  the  means  which  were  best  adapted  for  obtain- 
ing it.     The  absence  of  all  traces  of  Indians  on  Win- 
ter Eiver,  convinced  me  that  they  were  at  this  time 
on  the  way  to  Fort  Providence,  and  that  by  proceed- 
ing towards  that  post  we  should  overtake  them,  as  * 
they  move  slowly  when  they  have  their  families  with 
them.     This  route  also  offered  us  the  prospect  of  kill- 
ing deer,  in  the  vicinity  of  Reindeer  Lake,  in  which 


H 


■ 


%    . 


312 


Thirty  Tears 


* 


neighborliood,  pur  men  in  their  journeys  to  and  fro 
last  winter,  had  always  found  them  abundant.  Upon 
these  grounds  I  determined  on  taking  the  route  to 
Fort  Providence  as  soon  as  possible,  and  wrote  to  Mr.  * 
Back  desiring  him  to  join  me  at  Beindeer  Lake,  and 
detailing  the  occurrences  since  we  had  parted,  that 
our  friends  might  receive  relief  in  case  of  any  accident 
happening  to  me. 

Belanger  did  not  recover  sufficient  strength  to  leave 
us  before  the  18th.  His  answers  as  to  the  exact  part 
of  Round-Kock  Lake  in  which  he  had  left  Mr.  Back, 
were  very  unsatisfactory ;  and  we  could  only  collect  that 
it  was  a  considerable  distance,  and  he  was  still  going 
on  with  the  intention  of  halting  at  the  place  where 
Akaitcho  was  encamped  last  summer,  about  thirty 
miles  off.  This  distance  appeared  so  great,  that  I 
told  Belanger  it  was  very  unsafe  for  him  to  attempt  it 
alone,  and  that  he  would  be  several  days  in  accom- 
plishing it.  He  stated,  however,  that  as  the  track 
was  beaten,  he  should  experience  little  fatigue,  and 
seemed  so  confident,  that  I  suffered  him  to  depart 
with  a  supply  of  singed  hide.  Next  day  I  received 
information  which  explained  why  he  was  so  unwilling 
'  to  acquaint  us  with  the  situation  of  Mr.  Back's  party. 
He  dreaded  that  I  should  resolve  upon  joining  it, 
when  our  numbers  should  be  so  great  as  to  consume 
at  once  everything  St.  Germain  might  kill,  if  by  acci- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


313 


|rty. 
it. 


ime 
jci- 


dent  he  should  be  successful  in  hunting.  He  even 
endeavored  to  entice  away  our  other  hunter  Adam, 
and  proposed  to  him  to  carry  off  the  only  kettle  we 
had,  and  without  which  we  could  not  have  subsisted 
two  days.  Adam's  inability  to  move,  however,  pre- 
cluded him  from  agreeing  to  the  proposal,  but  he 
could  assign  no  reason  for  not  acquainting  me  with  it, 
previous  to  Belanger's  departure.  I  was  at  first  in- 
clined to  consider  the  whole  matter  as  a  fiction  of 
Adam's,  but  he  persisted  in  his  story  without  waver- 
ing ;  and  Belanger,  when  we  met  again,  confessed 
that  every  part  of  it  was  true.  It  is  painful  to  have 
to  record  a  fact  so  derogatory  to  human  nature,  but  I 
have  deemed  it  proper  to  mention  it,  to  shew  the  dif- 
ficulties we  had  to  contend  with,  and  the  effect  which 
distress  had  in  warping  the  feelings  and  understanding 
of  the  most  diligent  and  obedient  of  our  party  ;  for 
such  Belanger  had  been  always  esteemed  up  to  this 
time. 

In  making  arrangements  for  our  departure,  Adam 
disclosed  to  me,  for  the  first  time,  that  he  was  affect- 
ed with  oedematous  swellings  in  some  parts  of  the 
body,  to  such  a  degree  as  to  preclude  the  slightest  at- 
tempt at  marching  ;  and  upon  my  expressing  my  sur- 
prise at  his  having  hitherto  concealed  from  me  the  ex- 
tent of  his  malady,  among  other  explanations  the  de- 
tails of  the  preceding  story  came  out.     It  now  became 

14 


314 


TJnrt^  Years 


necessary  to  abandon  the  original  intention  of  proceed- 
ing with  the  whole  party  towards  Fort  Providence, 
and  Peltier  and  Samandrd  having  volunteered  to  re- 
main with  Adam,  I  determined  on  setting  out  with 
Benoit  and  Augustus,  intending  to  send  them  relief 
by  the  first  party  of  Indians  we  should  meet.  My 
clothes  were  so  much  torn,  as  to  be  quite  inadequate 
to  screen  me  from  the  wind,  and  Peltier  and  Samandr^ 
fearing  that  I  might  suffer  on  the  journey  in  conse- 
quence, kindly  exchanged  with  me  parts  of  their  dress, 
desiring  me  to  send  them  skins  in  return  by  the  In- 
dians. Having  patched  up  three  pair  of  snow-shoe», 
and  singed  a  considerable  quantity  of  skin  for  the  jour- 
ney, we  started  on  the  morning  of  the  20th.  Previous 
to  my  departure,  I  packed  up  the  journals  of  the  offi- 
cers, the  charts,  and  some  other  documents,  together 
with  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Under  Secretary  of 
State,  detailing  the  occurrences  of  the  Expedition  up 
to  this  period,  which  package  was  given  in  charge  to 
Peltier  and  Samandr^,  with  direction  that  it  should  be 
brought  away  by  the  Indians  who  might  come  to  them, 
I  also  instructed  them  to  forward  succor  immediately 
on  its  arrival  to  oulr  companions  in  the  rear,  which 
they  solemnly  promised  to  do,  and  I  left  a  letter  for 
my  friends,  Eichardson  and  Hood,  to  be  sent  at  the 
same  time.  I  thought  it  necessary  to  admonish  Pel- 
tier, Saraand^^,  and  Adam,  to  eat  two  me«.l&    very  day. 


-■•^ 


Tn  the  Arctic  Regions. 


315 


in  order  to  keep  up  their  strength,  which  they  pro- 
mised me  they  would  do.  No  language  that  I  can 
use  could  adequately  describe  the  parting  scene.  I 
shall  only  say  there  was  far  more  calmness  and  resig- 
nation to  the  Divine  will  evinced  by  every  one  than 
could  have  been  expected.  We  were  all  cheered  by 
the  hope  that  the  Indians  would  be  found  by  the  one 
party,  and  relief  sent  to  the  other.  Those  who  re- 
mained entreated  us  to  make  all  the  haste  we  could, 
and  expressed  their  hope  of  seeing  the  Indians  in  ten 
or  twelve  days.  ** 

At  first  starting  we  were  so  feeble  as  scarcely  to  be 
able  to  move  forwards,  and  the  descent  of  the  bank 
of  the  river  through  the  deep  snow  was  a  severe  labor. 
When  we  came  upon  the  ice,  where  the  snow  was  less 
deep,  we  got  on  better,  but  after  walking  six  hours 
we  had  only  gained  four  miles,  and  were  then  com- 
pelled by  fatigue  to  encamp  on  the  borders  of  Eound- 
Rock  Lake.  Augustus  tried  for  fish  here,  but  without 
success,  so  that  our  fare  was  skin  and  tea.  Compo- 
sing ourselves  to  rest,  we  lay  close  to  each  other  for 
warmth.  We  found  the  night  bitterly  cold,  and  the 
wind  pierced  through  our  fomished  frames. 

The  next  morning  was  mild  and  pleasant  for  travel- 
ing, and  we  set  out  after  breakfast.  We  had  not, 
however,  gone  many  yards  before  I  had  the  misfortune 
to  break  my  snow-shoes,  by  fulling  between  two  rocks. 


•*? 


* 


316 


Thirty  Years 


6 


This  accident  prevented  me  from  keeping  pace  with 
Benoit  and  Augustus,  and  in  the  attempt  I  became 
quite  exhausted.  Being  convinced  that  their  being 
delayed  on  my  account  might  prove  of  fatal  conse- 
quence to  the  rest,  I  resolved  on  returning  to  the 
house,  and  letting  them  proceed  alone  in  search  of  the 
Indians.  I  therefore  halted  them  only  whilst  I  wrote 
a  note  to  Mr.  Back,  stating  the  reason  of  my  return, 
and  requesting  he  would  send  meat  from  Beindeer 
Lake  by  these  men,  if  St.  Germain  should  kill  any 
animals  there.  If  Benoit  should  miss  Mr.  Back,  I  di- 
rected him  to  proceed  to  Fort  Providence,  and  fur- 
nished him  with  a  letter  to  the  gentleman  in  charge 
of  it,  requesting  immediate  supplies  might  be  sent 
to  us. 

On  my  arrival  at  the  house,  I  found  Samandrd  very 
dispirited,  and  too  weak,  as  he  said,  to  render  any  as- 
sistance to  Peltier ;  upon  whom  the  whole  labor  of 
getting  wood  and  collecting  the  means  of  subsistence 
would  have  devolved:  Conscious,  too,  that  his 
strength  would  have  been  unequal  to  these  tasks,  they 
had  determined  upon  taking  only  one  meal  each  day  ; 
under  these  circumstances  I  considered  my  return  as 
particularly  fortunate,  as  I  hoped  to  stimulate  Sa- 
mandr^  to  exertion,  and  at  any  rate  I  could  contribute 
some  help  to  Peltier.  I  undertook  the  office  of  cook- 
ing, and  insisted  that  they  should  eat  twice  a  day 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


317 


whenever  food  could  be  procured,  but  as  I  was  too 
weak  to  pound  the  bones,  Peltier  agreed  to  do  that  in 
addition  to  his  more  fatiguing  task  of  getting  wood. 
We  had  a  violent  snow  storm  all  the  next  day,  and 
this  gloomy  weather  contributed  to  the  depression  of 
spirits  under  which  Adam  end  Samandr^  were  laboring. 
Neither  of  them  would  quit  their  beds,  and  they 
scarcely  ceased  from  shedding  tears  all  day  ;  in  vain 
did  Peltier  and  myself  endeavor  to  cheer  them.  We 
had  even  to  use  much  entreaty  before  we  prevailed 
upon  them  to  take  the  meals  we  had  prepared.  Our 
situation  was  indeed  distressing,  but  in  comparison 
with  that  of  our  friends  in  the  rear,  we  considered  it 
happy.  Their  condition  gave  us  unceasing  solicitude, 
and  was  the  principal  subject  of  our  conversation. 

Though  the  weather  was  stormy  on  the  26th,  Sa- 
mandr^  assisted  me  to  gather  tripe  de  roche.  Adam, 
who  was  very  ill,  and  could  not  now  be  prevailed  upon 
eat  this  weed,  subsisted  principally  on  bones,  though 
he  also  partook  of  the  soup.  The  ti'ipe  de  roche  had 
hitherto  afforded  us  our  chief  support,  and  we  natu- 
rally felt  great  uneasiness  at  the  prospect  of  being  de- 
prived of  it,  by  its  being  so  frozen  as  to  render  it 
impossible  for  us  to  gather  it. 

We  perceived  our  strength  decline  every  day,  and 
every  exertion  began  to  be  irksome ;  when  we  were 
once  seated  the  greatest  effort  was  necessary  in  order 


318 


Tliirty  Years 


to  rise,  and  we  had  frequently  to  lift  each  other  from 
our  seats  ;  but  even  in  this  pitiable  condition  we  con- 
versed cheerfully,  being  sanguine  as  to  the  speedy  ar- 
rival of  the  Indians.  We  calculated  indeed  that  if 
they  should  be  near  the  situation  where  they  had  re- 
mained last  winter,  our  men  would  have  reached  them 
by  this  day.  Having  expended  all  the  wood  which  wo 
could  procure  from  our  present  dwelling,  without  en- 
dangering its  falling,  Peltier  began  this  day  to  pull 
down  the  partitions  of  the  adjoining  houses.  Though 
these  were  only  distant  about  twenty  yards,  yet  the 
increase  of  labor  in  carrying  the  wood  fatigued  him  so 
much,  that  by  the  evening  he  was  exhausted.  On  the 
next  day  his  weakness  was  such,  especially  in  the  arms, 
of  which  he  chiefly  complained,  that  he  with  difficulty 
lifted  the  hatchet ;  still  he  persevered,  Samandr6  and 
I  assisting  him  in  bringing  in  the  wood,  but  our  uni- 
ted strength  could  only  collect  ''ufficient  to  replenish 
the  fire  four  times  in  the  course  of  the  day.  As  the 
insides  of  our  mouths  had  become  sore  from  eating  the 
bone  soup,  we  relinquished  the  use  of  it,  and  now  boiled 
our  skin,  which  mode  of  dressing  we  found  more 
palatable  than  frying  it,  as  we  had  hitherto  done. 

On  the  29th,  Peltier  felt  his  pains  more  severe,  and 
could  only  cut  a  few  pieces  of  wood.  Samandr6,  who 
was  still  almost  as  weak,  relieved  him  a  little  time, 
and  1  assisted  them  in  carrying  in  the  wood.     "We 


\ 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


319 


endeavored  to  pick  some  tripe  de  roche,  but  in  vain, 
as  it  was  entirely  frozen.  In  turning  up  the  snow,  in 
searching  for  bones,  I  found  several  pieces  of  bark, 
which  proved  a  valuable  acquisition,  as  we  were  almost 
destitute  of  dry  wood  proper  for  kindling  the  fire.  We 
saw  a  herd  of  reindeer  sporting  on  the  river,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  house ;  they  remained  there  a 
considerable  time,  but  none  of  the  party  felt  them- 
selves sufficiently  strong  to  go  after  them,  nor  was 
there  one  of  us  who  could  have  fired  a  gun  without 
resting  it. 

Whilst  we  were  seated  round  the  fire  this  evening, 
discoursing  about  the  anticipated  relief,  the  conversa- 
tion was  suddenly  interrupted  by  Peltier's  exclaiming 
with  joy,  "  Ah  !  le  monde  !"  imagining  that  he  heard 
the  Indians  in  the  other  room ;  immediately  after- 
wards, to  his  bitter  disappointment.  Dr.  Bichardson 
and  Hepburn  entered,  each  carrying  his  bundle.  Pel- 
tier, however,  soon  recovered  himself  enough  to  express 
his  joy  at  their  safe  arrival,*  and  his  regret  that  their 
companions  were  not  with  them.  When  I  saw  them 
alone  my  own  mind  was  instantly  filled  with  apprehen- 
sions respecting  my  friend  Hood,  and  our  other  com- 
panions, which  were  immediately  confirmed  by  the 
Doctor's  melancholy  communication,  that  Mr.  Hood 
and  Michel  were  dead.  Perrault  and  Fontano  had 
neither  reached  the  tent,  nor  been  heard  of  by  t^  em. 


820 


Thirty  Years 


This  intelligence  produced  a  melancholy  despondency 
in  the  minds  of  my  party,  and  on  that  account  the 
particulars  were  deferred  until  another  opportunity. 
We  were  all  shocked  at  heholding  the  emaciated  coun- 
tenances of  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn,  as  they  strongly 
evidenced  their  extremely  debilitated  state.  The  al- 
teration in  our  appearance  was  equally  distressing  to 
them,  for  since  the  swellings  had  subsided,  we  were 
little  more  than  skin  and  bone.  The  Doctor  particu* 
larly  remarked  the  sepulchral  tone  of  our  voices, 
which  he  requested  us  to  make  more  cheerful  if 
possible,  unconscious  that  his  own  partook  of  the  same 
key. 

Hepburn  having  shot  a  partridge,  which  was  brought 
to  the  house,  the  Doctor  tore  out  the  feathers,  and 
having  held  it  to  the  fire  a  few  minutes,  divided  it 
into  seven  portions.  Each  piece  was  ravenously  de- 
voured by  my  companions,  as  it  was  the  first  morsel 
of  flesh  any  of  us  had  tasted  for  thirty-one  days,  un- 
less indeed  the  small  grimly  particles  which  we  found 
occasionally  adhering  to  the  pounded  bones  may  be 
termed  flesh.  Our  spirits  were  revived  by  this  small 
supply,  and  the  Doctor  endeavored  to  raise  them  still 
higher  by  the  prospect  of  Hepburn's  being  able  to  kill 
a  deer  next  day,  as  they  had  seen,  and  even  fired  at, 
several  near  the  house.  He  endeavored,  too,  to  rouse 
US  to  some  attention  to  the  comfort  of  our  apartment, 


^%p^ 


%^ 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


321 


and  particularly  to  roll  up,  in  the  day,  our  blankets 
which  (expressly  for  the  convenience  of  Adam  and 
SamandrA,)  we  had  been  in  the  habit  of  leaving  by  the 
fire  where  we  lay  on  them.  The  Doctor  having  brought 
his  prayer-book  and  Testament,  some  prayers  and 
psalms,  and  portions  of  scripture,  appropriate  to  our 
situation,  were  read,  and  we  retired  to  bed. 

Next  morning  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn  went  out^ 
early  in  search  of  deer  ;  but,  though  they  saw  several 
herds  and  fired  some  shots,  they  were  not  so  fortunate 
as  to  kill  any,  being  too  weak  to  hold  their  guns 
steadily.  The  cold  compelled  the  former  to  return 
soon,  but  Hepburn  persisted  until  late  in  the  evening. 

My  occupation  was  to  search  for  skins  under  the 
snow,  it  being  now  our  object  immediately  to  get  all 
that  we  could,  but  I  had  not  strength  to  drag  in  more 
than  two  of  those  which  were  within  twenty  yards  of 
the  house  until  the  Doctor  came  and  assisted  me. 
We  made  up  our  stock  to  twenty-six,  but  several  of 
them  were  putrid,  and  scarcely  eatable,  even  by  men 
BuflFering  the  extremity  of  famine.  Peltier  and  Sa- 
mandr6  continued  very  weak  and  dispirited,  and  they 
were  unable  to  cut  fire-wood.  Hepburn  had  in  con- 
sequence that  laborious  task  to  perform  after  he  came 
back.  The  Doctor  having  scarified  the  swelled  parts 
of  Ad  's  body,  a  large  quantity  of  water  flowed  out, 
and  he  obtained  some  ease,  but  still  kept  his  bed. 


om^ 


822 


Thiriy  Years 


After  our  usual  8Uj)i)er  of  singed  skia  nnd  bono 
soup,  Dr.  Biehtirdson  ncquuinted  mo  with  the  nfllict- 
ing  circumHtanccH  nttonding  the  death  of  Mr.  Hood 
and  Michel,  and  detailed  the  occurrences  subsequent 
to  my  departure  from  them,  which  I  shall  give  from 
his  journal,  in  his  own  words  ;  but  I  must  here  bo  per- 
mitted to  express  tho  heart-felt  sorrow  with  which  I 
was  overwhelmed  at  the  loss  of  so  many  companions  ; 
especially  for  that  of  my  friend  Mr.  Hood,  to  whose 
zealous  and  able  co-operation  I  had  been  indebted  for 
80  much  valuable  assistance  during  the  Expedition, 
whilst  tho  excellent  qualities  of  his  heart  engaged  my 
warmest  regard.  His  scientific  observations,  together 
with  his  maps  and  drawings,  evince  a  variety  of  talent, 
which,  had  his  life  been  spared,  must  have  rendered 
him  a  distinguished  ornament  to  his  profession,  and 
which  will  cause  his  death  to  be  felt  as  a  loss  to  the 
service. 


I 


%!. 


/^ 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


32a 


f 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Dr.  RICHARDSON'S  NARRATIVE. 

After  Captain  Franklin  had  bidden  us  farewell,  we 
remained  seated  by  the  fire-side  as  long  as  the  willows, 
the  men  had  cut  for  us  before  they  departed,  lasted. 
We  had  no  tripe  de  roche  that  day,  but  drank  an  in- 
fusion of  the  country  tea-plant,  which  was  grateful 
from  its  warmth,  although  it  afforded  no  sustenance. 
We  then  retired  to  bed,  where  we  remained  all  the 
next  day,  as  the  weather  was  stormy,  and  the  snow- 
drift so  heavy,  as  to  destroy  every  prospect  of  success 
in  our  endeavors  to  light  a  fire  with  the  green  and 
frozen  willows,  which  were  our  only  fuel.  Through 
the  extreme  kindness  and  forethought  of  a  lady,  the 
party,  previous  to  leaving  London,  had  been  furnished 
with  a  small  collection  of  religious  books,  of  which  we 
still  retained  two  or  three  of  the  most  portable,  and 
they  proved  of  incalculable  benefit  to  us.  We  read 
portions  of  them  to  each  other  as  we  lay  in  bed,  in  ad- 


"** 


324 


Thirty  Years 


dition  to  the  morning  and  evening  service,  and  found 
that  they  inspired  us  on  each  perusal  with  so  strong  a 
sense  of  the  omnipresence  of  a  beneficent  God,  that 
our  situation,  even  in  these  wilds,  appeared  no  longer 
destitute  ;  and  we  conversed,  not  only  with  calmness, 
but  with  cheerfulness,  detailing  with  unrestrained 
confidence  the  past  events  of  our  lives,  and  dwelling 
with  hope  on  our  future  prospects.  Had  my  poor 
friend  been  spared  to  revisit  his  native  land,  I  should 
look  back  to  this  period  with  unalloyed  delight. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  weather,  although 
still  cold,  was  clear,  and  I  went  out  in  quest  of  trijpe 
de  roche,  leaving  Hepburn  to  cut  willows  for  a  fire, 
and  Mr.  Hood  in  bed.  I  had  no  success,  as  yester- 
day's snow  drift  was  so  frozen  on  the  surface  of  the 
rocks  that  I  could  not  collect  any  of  the  weed  ;  but, 
on  my  retiirn  to  the  tent,  I  found  that  Michel,  the 
Iroquois,  had  come  with  a  note  from  Mr.  Franklin, 
which  stated,  that  this  man,  and  Jean  Baptist  Belan- 
ger  being  unable  to  proceed,  were  about  to  return  to 
us,  and  that  a  mile  beyond  our  present  encampment 
there  was  a  clump  of  pine  trees,  to  which  he  recom- 
mended us  to  remove  the  tent.  Michel  informed  us 
that  he  quitted  Mr.  Franklin's  party  yesterday  morn- 
ing, but,  that  having  missed  his  way,  he  had  passed 
the  night  on  the  snow  a  mile  or  two  to  the  northward 
of  us.     Belanger,  he  said,  being  impatient,  had  left 


4-- 


m 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


325 


the  fire  about  two  hours'  earlier,  and  as  he  had  not 
arrived,  he  supposed  h  •  had  gone  astray.  It  will  be 
seen  in  the  sequel,  that  we  had  more  than  sufficient 
reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  this  story. 

Michel  now  produced  a  hare  and  a  partridge  which 
he  had  killed  in  the  morning.  This  unexpected  sup- 
ply of  provision  was  received  by  us  with  a  deep  sense 
of  gratitude  to  the  Almighty  for  his  goodness,  and  wo 
looked  upon  Michel  as  the  instrument  he  had  chosen 
to  preserve  all  our  lives.  He  complained  of  cold,  and 
Mr.  Hood  offered  to  share  his  buffalo  robe  with  him 
at  night :  I  gave  him  one  of  two  shirts  which  I  wore, 
whilst  Hepburn,  in  the  warmth  of  his  heart,  ex- 
claimed, "  How  I  shall  love  this  man  if  I  find  that 
he  does  not  tell  lies  like  the  others.''  Our  meals 
being  finished,  we  arranged  that  the  greatest  part  of 
the  things  should  be  carried  to  the  pines  the  next  day  ; 
and  after  reading  the  evening  service,  retired  to  bed 
full  of  hope. 

Early  in  the  morning  Hepburn,  Michel,  and  my- 
self, carried  the  ammunition,  and  most  of  the  other 
heavy  articles  to  the  pines.  Michel  was  our  guide, 
and  it  did  not  occur  to  us  at  the  time  that  his  con- 
ducting us  perfectly  straight  was  incompatible  with 
his  story  of  having  gone  astray  on  his  way  to  us.  He 
now  informed  us  that  he  had,  on  his  way  to  the  tent, 
left  on  the  hill  above  the  pines  a  gun  and  forty-eight 


326 


Thirty  Years 


balls,  which  Perrault  had  given  him  when  with  the 
rest  of  Mr.  Franklin's  party,  he  took  leave  of  him. 
It  will  be  seen,  on  a  reference  to  Mr.  Franklin's  jour- 
nal, that  Perrault  carried  his  gun  and  ammunition 
with  him  when  they  parted  from  Michel  and  Belan- 
ger.  After  we  had  made  a  fire,  and  drank  a  little  of 
the  country  tea,  Hepburn  and  I  returned  to  the  tent, 
where  we  arrived  in  the  eveninor,  much  exhausted  with 
our  journey.  Michel  preferred  sleeping  where  he  was, 
and  requested  us  to  leave  him  the  hatchet,  which  wo 
did,  after  he  had  promised  to  come  early  in  the  morn- 
ing to  assist  us  in  carrying  the  tent  and  bedding. 
Mr.  Hood  remained  in  bed  all  day.  Seeing  nothing 
of  Belanger  to-day,  we  gave  him  up  for  lost. 

On  the  11th,  after  waiting  until  late  in  the  morn- 
ing for  Michel,  who  did  not  come,  Hepburn  and  I 
loaded  ourselves  with  the  bedding,  and  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Hood,  set  out  for  the  pines.  Mr.  Hood  was 
much  affected  with  dimness  of  sight,  giddiness,  and 
other  symptoms  of  extreme  debility,  which  caused  us 
to  move  very  slow,  and  to  make  frequent  halts.  On 
arriving  at  the  pines,  we  were  much  alarmed  to  find 
that  Michel  was  absent.  We  feared  that  he  had  lost 
his  way  in  coming  to  us  in  the  morning,  although  it 
was  not  easy  to  conjecture  how  that  could  have  hap- 
pened, as  our  footsteps  of  yesterday  were  very  distinct. 
Hepburn  went  back  for  the  tent,  and  returned  with  it 


* 


In  the  Arctic  Beg  ions. 


327 


it 


it 


after  dusk,  completely  worn  out  with  the  fatigue  of 
the  (lay.  Michel,  too,  arrived  at  the  Bame  time,  and 
relieved  our  anxiety  on  his  account.  He  reported  that 
he  had  been  in  chase  of  some  deer  which  passed  near  his 
sleeping-place  in  the  morning,  and  although  he  did 
not  come  up  with  them,  yet  that  he  found  a  wolf 
which  had  been  killed  by  the  stroke  of  a  deer's  horn, 
and  had  brought  a  part  of  it.  We  implicitly  believed 
this  story  then,  but  afterwards  became  convinced  from 
circumstances,  the  detail  of  which  may  be  spared, 
that  it  must  have  been  a  portion  of  the  body  of  Be- 
langer  or  Perrault.  A  question  of  moment  here 
presents  itself ;  namely,  whether  he  actually  murdered 
these  men,  or  either  of  them,  or  whether  he  found  the 
bodies  on  the  snow.  Captain  Franklin,  who  is  the 
best  able  to  judge  of  this  matter,  from  knowing  their 
situation  when  he  parted  from  them,  suggested  the 
former  idea,  and  that  both  Belanger  and  Perrault  had 
been  sacrificed.  When  Perrault  turned  back.  Captain 
Franklin  watched  him  until  he  reached  a  small  group 
of  willows,  which  was  immediately  adjoining  to  the  fire, 
and  concealed  it  from  view,  and  at  this  time  the  smoke 
of  fresh  fuel  was  distinctly  visible.  Captain  Franklin 
conjectures,  that  Michel  having  already  destroyed  Be- 
langer, completed  his  crime  by  Perrault't  death,  in 
order  to  screen  himself  from  detection.  Although 
this  opinion  is  founded  only  on  circumstances,  and  is 


328 


Thirty  Years 


unsupported  by  direct  evidence,  it  has  been  judged 
proper  to  mention  it,  especially  as  the  subsequent 
conduct  of  the  man  shewed  that  he  was  capable  of 
committing  such  a  deed.  The  circumstances  are  very 
strong.  It  is  not  easy  to  assign  any  other  adequate 
motive  for  his  concealing  from  us  that  Perrault  had 
turned  back,  and  his  request  overnight  that  we  should 
leave  him  the  hatchet ;  and  his  cumbering  himself 
with  it  when  he  went  out  in  the  morning,  unlike  a 
hunter  who  makes  use  only  of  his  knife  when  he  kills 
a  deer,  seem  to  indicate  that  he  took  it  for  the  purpose 
of  cutting  up  something  that  he  knew  to  be  frozen. 
These  opinions,  however,  are  the  result  of  subsequent 
consideration.     We  passed  this  night  in  the  open  air. 

On  the  following  morning  the  tent  was  pitched,  and 
Michel  went  out  early,  refused  my  offer  to  accompany 
him,  and  remained  out  the  whole  day.  He  would  not 
sleep  in  the  tent  at  night,  but  chose  to  lie  at  the  fire- 
side. 

On  the  13th  there  was  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  and 
we  passed  the  day  by  the  fire.  Next  day,  about  two 
P.M.,  the  gale  abating,  Michel  set  out  as  he  said  to 
hunt,  but  returned  unexpectedly  in  a  very  short  time. 
This  conduct  surprised  us,  and  his  contradictory  and 
evasory  answers  to  our  questions  excited  some  sus- 
picions, but  they  did  not  turn  towards  the  truth. 

October  15th. — In  the  course  of  this  day  Michel 


In  the  Artie  Regions. 


329 


expressed  much  regret  that  he  had  stayed  behind  Mr. 
Franklin's  party,  and  declared  that  he  would  set  out 
for  the-  house  at  once  if  he  knew  the  way.  We  en- 
deavored to  soothe  him,  and  to  raise  his  hopes  of  the 
Indians  speedily  coming  to  our  relief,  but  without 
success.  He  refused  to  assist  us  in  cutting  wood,  but 
about  noon,  after  much  solicitation,  he  set  out  to  hunt. 
Hepburn  gathered  a  kettle  of  tripe  de  rochet  but 
froze  his  fingers.  Both  Hepburn  and  I  fatigued  our- 
selves much  to-day  in  pursuing  a  flock  of  partridges 
from  one  part  to  another  of  the  group  of  willows,  in 
which  the  hut  was  situated,  but  we  were  too  weak  to  be 
able  to  approach  them  with  sufficient  caution.  In  the 
evening  Michel  returned,  having  met  with  no  success. 
Next  day  he  refused  either  to  hunt  or  cat  wood, 
spoke  in  a  very  surly  manner,  and  threatened  to  leave 
us.  Under  these  circumstances,  Mr.  Hood  and  I  deem- 
ed it  better  to  promise  if  he  would  hunt  diligently  for 
four  days,  that  then  we  would  give  Hepburn  a  letter 
for  Mr.  Franklin,  a  compass,  inform  him  what  course 
to  pursue,  and  let  them  proceed  together  to  the  fort. 
The  non-arrival  of  the  Indians  to  our  relief,  now  led  us 
to  fear  that  some  accident  had  happened  to  Mr.  Frank- 
lin, and  we  placed  no  confidence  in  the  exertions  of 
the  Canadians  that  accompanied  him,  but  we  had  the 
fullest  confidence  in  Hepburn's  returning  the  moment 
he  could  obtain  assistance. 


S30 


Thirty  Years 


On  the  17th  I  went  to  conduct  Michel  to  where 
VaiUant'a  bhmket  was  left,  and  after  walking  about 
three  miles,  pointed  out  the  hills  to  him  at  a  distance, 
and  returned  to  the  hut,  having  gathered  a  bagful  ot 
tripe  de  roche  on  the  way.  It  was  easier  to  gather 
this  weed  on  a  march  than  at  the  tent,  for  the  exercise 
of  walking  produced  a  glow  of  heat,  which  enabled  us 
to  withstand  for  a  time  the  cold  to  which  we  were  ex- 
posed in  scraping  the  frozen  surface  of  the  rocks.  On 
the  contrary,  when  we  left  the  fire,  to  collect  it  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  hut,  we  became  chilled  at  once, 
and  were  obliged  to  return  very  quickly. 

Michel  proposed  to  remain  out  all  night,  and  to  hunt 
next  day  on  his  way  back.  He  returned  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  18th,  having  found  the  blanket,  together 
with  a  bag  containing  two  pistols,  and  some  other 
things  which  had  been  left  beside  it.  We  had  some 
tripe  de  roche,  in  the  evening,  but  Mr.  Hood,  from  the 
constant  griping  it  produced,  was  unable  to  eat  more 
than  one  or  two  spoonfuls.  He  was  now  so  weak  as 
to  be  scarcely  able  to  sit  up  at  the  fire-side,  and  com- 
plained that  the  least  breeze  of  wind  seemed  to  blow 
through  his  frame.  He  also  suffered  much  from  cold 
during  the  night.  We  lay  close  to  each  other,  but  the 
heat  of  the  body  was  no  longer  sufficient  to  thaw  the 
frozen  rime  formed  by  our  breaths  on  the  blankets  that 
covered  him. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


331 


At  this  period  we  avoided  ns  much  as  possible  con- 
versing upon  tlie  hopelessness  of  our  situation,  and 
generally  endeavored  to  lead  the  conversation  towards 
our  future  prospects  in  life.  The  fact  is,  that  with  tlie 
decay  of  our  strength,  our  minds  decayed,  and  we  were 
no  longer  able  to  bear  the  contemplation  of  the  hor- 
rors that  surrounded  us.  Each  of  us,  if  I  may  be  al- 
lowed to  judge  from  my  own  case,  excused  himself 
from  so  doing  by  a  desire  of  not  shocking  the  feelings 
of  the  others,  for  we  were  sensible  of  one  another's 
weakness  of  intellect,  though  blind  to  our  own.  Yet 
we  were  calm  and  resigned  to  our  fate,  not  a  murmur 
escaped  us,  and  we  were  punctual  and  fervent  in  our 
addresses  to  the  Supreme  Being. 

On  the  19th  Michel  refused  to  hunt,  or  even  to  as- 
sist in  carrying  a  log  of  wood  to  the  fire,  which  was 
too  heavy  for  Hepburn's  strength  and  mine.  Mr.  Hood 
endeavored  to  point  out  to  him  the  necessity  and  duty 
of  exertion,  and  4he  cruelty  of  his  quitting  us  without 
leaving  something  for  our  support ;  but  the  discourse, 
far  from  producing  any  beneficial  effect,  seeined  only 
to  excite  his  anger,  and  amongst  other  expressions  he 
made  use  of  the  following  remarkable  one  :  "  It  is  no 
use  hunting,  there  are  no  animals,  you  had  better  kill 
and  eat  me."  At  length,  however,  he  went  out,  but 
returned  very  soon,  with  a  report  that  he  had  seen 
three  deer,  which  he  was  unable  to  follow  from  having 


332 


Thirty  Years 


wet  his  foot  in  a  small  stream  of  water  thinly  covered 
with  ice,  and  being  consequently  obliged  to  come  to 
the  fire.  The  day  was  rather  mild,  and  Hepburn  and 
I  gathered  a  large  kettleful  of  tripe  de  roche  ;  Michel 
slept  in  the  tent  this  night. 

Sunday,  October  20. — In  the  morning  we  again 
urged  Michel  to  go  a  hunting,  that  he  might  if  possi- 
ble leave  us  some  provision,  to-morrow  being  the  day 
appointed  for  his  quitting  us  ;  but  he  shewed  great 
unwillingness  to  go  out,  and  lingered  about  the  fire, 
under  the  pretense  of  cleaning  his  gun.  After  we  had 
read  the  morning  service,  I  went  about  noon  to  gather 
some  tripe  de  rocliCj  leaving  Mr.  Hood  sitting  before 
the  tent  at  the  fire-side,  arguing  with  Michel ;  Hep- 
burn was  employed  cutting  down  a  tree  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  tent,  being  desirous  of  accumulating  a 
quantity  of  fire- wood  before  he  left  us.  A  short  time 
after  1  went  out  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and 
about  ten  minutes  afterwards  Hepburn  called  to  me  in 
a  voice  of  great  alarm,  to  come  directly.  When  I  ar- 
rived, I  found  poor  Hood  lying  lifeless  at  the  fire-side, 
a  ball  having  apparently  entered  his  forehead.  I  was 
at  first  horror-struck  with  the  idea,  that  in  a  fit  of 
despondency  he  had  hurried  himself  into  the  presence 
of  his  almighty  Judge,  by  an  act  of  his  own  hand ;  but 
the  conduct  of  Michel  soon  gave  rise  to  other  thoughts^ 
and  excited  suspicions  which  were  confirmed,  when 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


333 


upon  examining  the  body,  I  discovered  that  the  shot 
had  entered  the  back  part  of  the  head,  and  passed  out 
at  the  forehead,  and  that  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  had 
been  applied  so  close  as  to  sU  fire  to  the  night-cap  be- 
hind. The  gun,  which  was  of  the  longest  kind  supplied 
to  the  Indians,  could  not  have  been  placed  in  a  posi- 
tion to  inflict  such  a  wound,  except  by  a  second  person. 
Upon  inquiring  of  Michel  how  it  happened,  he  replied, 
that  Mr.  Hood  had  sent  him  into  the  tent  for  the  short 
gun,  and  thai  during  his  absence  the  long  gun  had 
gone  off,  he  did  not  know  whether  by  accident  or  not. 
He  held  the  short  gun  in  his  hand  at  the  time  he  was 
speaking  to  me.  Hepburn  afterwards  informed  me, 
that  previous  to  the  report  of  the  gun,  Mr.  Hood  and 
Michel  were  speaking  to  each  other  in  an  elevated, 
angry  tone  ;  that  Mr.  Hood  being  seated  at  the  fire- 
side, was  hid  from  him  by  intervening  willows,  but 
that  on  hearing  the  report  he  looked  up,  and  saw 
Michel  rising  up  from  before  the  tent  door,  or  just  be- 
hind where  Mr.  Hood  was  seated,  and  then  going  into 
the  tent.  Thinking  that  the  gun  had  been  discharged 
for  the  purpose  of  cleaning  it,  he  did  not  go  to  the  fire 
at  first ;  and  when  Michel  called  to  him  that  Mr.  Hood 
was  dead,  a  considerable  time  had  elapsed.  Although 
I  dared  not  openly  to  evince  any  suspicion  that  I 
thought  Michel  guilty  of  the  deed,  yet  he  repeatedly 
protested  that  he  was  incapable  of  committing  such 


334 


Thirty  Years 


an  act,  kept  constaDtly  on  his  guard,  and  carefully 
avcided  leaving  Hepburn  and  me  together.     He  was 
evidently  afraid  of  permitting  us  to  converse  in  private, 
and  whenever  Hepburn  spoke,  he  inquired  if  he  accu- 
sed him  of  the  murder.     It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  ho 
understood  English  very  imperfectly,  yet  sufficient  to 
render  it  unsafe  for  us  to  speak  on  the  subject  in  his 
presence.     We  removed  the  body  into  a  clump  of 
willows  behind  the  tent,  and,  returning  to  the  fire, 
rend  the  funeral  service  in  addition  to  the  evening 
prayers.     The  loss  of  a  young  officer,  of  such  distin- 
guished and  varied  talents  and  application,  may  be 
felt  and  duly  appreciated  by  the  eminent  characters 
under  whose  command  he  had  served  ;  but  the  calm- 
ness with  which  he  contemplated  the  probable  termi- 
nation of  a  life  of  uncommon  promise ;  and  the  patience 
and  fortitude  with  which  he  sustained,  I  may  venture 
to  say,   unparalleled  bodily  sulferin<;s,   can  only   be 
known  to  the  companions  of  his  distresses.     Owing  to 
the  effect  that  the  *r{pe  de  roche  invariably  had,  when 
he  ventured  to  taste  it,  he  undoubtedly  suffered  more 
than  any  of  the  survivors  of  the  party.     BickerstetJia 
Scripture  Help  was  lying  open  beside  the  body,  as  if 
it  had  fallen  from  his  hand,  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
was  reading  it  at  the  Ipstant  of  his  death.     We  pass- 
ed the  night  in  the  tent  together  without  rest,  every 
one  being  on  his  guard.     Next  day,  having  determined 


'•■  *, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


335 


on  going  to  the  Fort,  we  began  to  patch  and  prepare 
our  clothes  for  the  journey.  We  singed  the  hair  off 
a  part  of  the  buflfalo  robe  that  belonged  to  Mr.  Hood, 
and  boiled  and  ate  it.  Michel  tried  to  persuade  rae 
to  go  to  the  woods  on  the  Copper-Mine  Kiver,  and 
hunt  for  deer,  instead  of  going  to  the  Fort.  In  the 
afternoon  a  flock  of  partridges  coming  near  the  tent, 
he  killed  several,  which  he  shared  with  us. 

Thick  snowy  weather  and  a  head  wind  prevented 
us  from  starting  the  following  day,  but  on  the  morning 
of  the  23d  we  set  out,  carrying  with  us  the  remainder 
of  the  singed  robe.  Hepburn  and  Michel  had  each  a 
gun,  and  I  carried  a  small  pistol,  which  Hepburn  had 
loaded  for  me.  In  the  course  of  the  march  Michel 
alarmed  us  much  by  his  gestures  and  conduct,  was 
constantly  muttering  to  himself,  expressed  an  unwill- 
ingness to  go  to  the  Fort,  and  tried  to  persuade  me 
to  go  to  the  southward  to  the  woods,  where  he  said  he 
could  maintain  himself  all  the  winter  by  killing  deer. 
In  consequence  of  this  behavior,  and  the  expression  of 
his  countenance,  I  requested  him  to  leave  us  and  to  go 
to  the  southward  by  himself.  This  proposal  increased 
his  ill-nature,  he  threw  out  some  obscure  hints  of 
freeing  himself  from  all  restraint  on  the  morrow  ;  and 
I  overheard  him  muttering  thripits  against  Hepburn, 
whom  he  openly  accused  of  having  told  stories  against 
him.     He  also  fur  the  first  time,  assumed  such  a  tone 


.1  i»pi  mwrnm^ffmrnm 


P. 


336 


TJitrty  Years 


of  superiority  ia  addressing  me,  as  evinced  that  he 
considered  us  to  be  completely  in  his  power,  and  he 
gave  vent  to  several  expressions  of  hatred  towards  the 
white  people,  or  as  he  termed  us  in  the  idiom  of  the 
voyagers,  the  French,  some  of  whom,  he  said,  had 
killed  and  eaten  his  uncle  and  two  of  his  relations.  In 
short,  taking  every  circumstance  of  his  conduct  into 
consideration,  I  came  to  the  conclusion,  that  he  would 
attempt  to  destroy  us  on  the  first  opportunity  that 
offered,  and  that  he  had  hitherto  abstained  from  doing 
so  from  his  ignorance  of  the  way  to  the  Fort,  but  that 
he  would  never  suffer  us  to  go  thither  in  company 
with  him.  In  the  course  of  the  day  he  had  several 
times  remarked  that  we  were  pursuing  the  same 
course  that  Mr.  Franklin  was  doing  when  we  left  him, 
and  that  by  keeping  towards  the  setting  sun  he  could 
find  his  way  himself.  Hepburn  and  I  were  not  in  a 
condition  to  resist  even  an  open  attack,  nor  could  we 
by  any  device  escape  from  him.  Our  united  strength 
was  far  inferior  to  his,  and,  beside  his  gun,  he  was  armed 
with  two  pistols,  an  Indian  bayonet,  and  a  knife.  In 
the  afternoon,  coming  to  a  rock  on  which  there  was 
some  tripe  de  rochej  he  halted,  and  said  he  would 
gather  it  whilst  we  went  on,  and  that  he  would  soon 
overtake  us.  Hepburn  and  I  were  now  left  together 
for  the  first  tim,e  since  Mr.  Hood's  death,  and  he  ac- 
quainted me  with  several    material   circumstances. 


In  the  Arctic  Eegions. 


337 


which  he  had  observed  of  Michel's  behavior,  and  which 
confirmed  me  in  the  opinion  that  there  was  no  safety 
for  us  except  in  his  death,  and  he  offered  to  be  the 
instrument  of  it.  I  determined,  however,  as  I  was 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  such  a  dread- 
ful act,  to  take  the  whole  responsibility  upon  myself ; 
and  immediately  upon  Michel's  coming  up,  I  put  an 
end  to  his  life  by  shooting  him  through  the  head  with 
a  pistol.  Had  my  own  life  alone  been  threatened,  I 
would  not  have  purchased  it  by  such  a  measure  ;  but 
I  considered  myself  as  intrusted  also  with  the  protec- 
tion of  Hepburn's,  a  man,  who,  by  his  humane  atten- 
tions and  devotednesR,  had  so  endeared  himself  to  me, 
that  I  felt  more  anxiety  for  his  safety  than  for  my  own. 
Michel  had  gathered  no  stripe  de  rochcy  and  it  was 
evident  to  us  that  he  had  halted  for  the  purpose  of 
putting  his  gun  in  order,  with  the  intention  of  attack- 
ing us,  perhaps,  whilst  we  were  in  the  act  of  encamp- 
ing. 

I  have  dwelt  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  narrative 
upon  many  circumstances  of  Michel's  conduct,  not  for 
the  purpose  of  aggravating  his  crime,  but  to  put  the 
reader  in  possession  of  the  reasons  ttat  influenced  me 
in  depriving  a  fellow  creature  of  life.  Up  to  the  period 
of  his  return  to  the  tent,  his  conduct  had  been  good 
and  respectful  to  the  officers,  and  in  a  conversation 

between  Captain  Franklin,  Mr.  Hood,  and  myself,  at 

15 


.v,i.jfe"rt"!^iE. 


oa|f|.'i.'",'.>»-" '''.'!<>"  '"  111.111,11  p»»iy»»»—^i...l  iii,»  I-    n^wytwww*^^^!^!  ,  iltwt- ■■  «■■ 


Hi(        .|liiHJHi|in.l>|il 


r 


4; 


^■ 


338 


Thirty  Years 


Obstruction  Rapid,  it  had  been  proposed  to  give  him 
a  reward  upon  our  arrival  at  a  post.  His  principles, 
however,  unsupported  by  a  belief  in  the  divine  truths 
of  Christianity,  were  unable  to  withstand  the  pressure 
of  severe  distress.  His  countrj'men,  the  Iroquois,  are 
generally  Christians,  but  he  was  totally  uninstructed 
and  ignorant  of  the  duties  inculcated  by  Christianity ; 
and  from  his  long  residence  in  the  Indian  country, 
seems  to  have  imbibed,  or  retained,  the  rules  of  con- 
duct which  the  southern  Indians  prescribe  to  them- 
selves.      •  •  • 

On  the  tWo  following  days  we  had  mild  but  thick 
snowy  weather,  and  as  the  view  was  too  limited  to 
enable  us  to  preserve  a  straight  course,  we  reniained 
encamped  amongst  a  few  willows  and  dwarf  pines, 
about  five  miles  from  the  tent.  We  found  a  species 
of  comicularia^  a  kind  of  lichen,  that  was  good  to  eat 
when  moistened  and  toasted  over  the  fire  ;  and  we 
had  a  good  many  pieces  of  singed  bufialo  hide  remain- 
ing. 

On  the  26th,  the  weather  being  clear  and  extremely 
cold,  we  resumed  our  march,  which  was  very  painful 
from  the  depth  of  the  snow,  particularly  on  the  mar- 
gins of  the  small  lakes  that  lay  in  our  route.  We  fre- 
quently sunk  under  the  load  of  our  blankets,  and 
were  obliged  to  assist  each  other  in  getting  up.  After 
walking  about  three  miles  and  a  half,  however,  we 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


339 


[ye  him 
nciples, 
5  trutlis 
pressure 
lois,  are 
gtructed 
tianity ; 
C50untry, 
of  con- 
;o  tliem- 

lut  thick 

mited  to 

•eiiiained 

rf  pines, 

species 

d  to  eat 

and  we 

remain- 

:tremely 
painful 

the  mar- 
We  fre- 

[ets,  and 
After 

lever,  we 


were  cheered  hy  the  sight  of  a  large  herd  of  reindeer, 
and  Hephurn  went  in  pursuit  of  them  ;  hut  his  hand 
heing  unsteady  through  weakness  he  missed.  He  was 
so  exhausted  hy  this  fruitless  attempt,  that  we  were 
obliged  to  encamp  upon  the  spot,  although  it  was  a 
very  unfavorable  one. 

Next  day  we  had  fine  and  clear,  but  cold  weather. 
We  set  out  early,  and,  in  crossing  a  hill,  found  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  tripe  de  roche.  About  noon  we 
fell  upon  Little  Marten  Lake,  having  walked  about 
two  miles.  The  sight  of  a  place  that  we  knew  in- 
spired us  with  fresh  vigor,  and  there  being  compara- 
tively little  snow  on  the  ice,  we  advanced  at  a  pace 
to  which  we  had  latel}  been  unaccustomed.  In  the 
afternoon  we  crossed  a  recent  track  of  a  wolverene, 
which,  from  a  parallel  maik  in  the  snow,  appeared  to 
have  been  dragging  something.  Hepburn  traced  it, 
and  upon  the  borders  of  the  lake  found  the  spine  of  a 
deer,  that  it  had  dropped.  It  was  clean  picked,  and 
at  least  one  season  old ;  but  we  extracted  the  spinal 
marrow  from  it,  which,  even  in  its  frozen  state,  was  so 
acrid  as  to  excoriate  the  lips.  We  encamped  within 
sight  of  the  Dog-rib  Rock,  and  from  the  coldness  of 
the  night  and  the  want  of  fuel,  rested  very  ill. 

On  the  28th  we  rose  at  day-break,  but  from  the 
want  of  the  small  fire,  that  we  usually  made  in  the 
mornings  to  warm  our  fingers,  a  very  long  time  was 


[■Ill],    i.mipiy|!ii|ni.mifnyi.wi 


;.  ft 


III    Ml    IIIWIII 


I 


:■ 


340 


Thirty  Years 


Bpent  in  making  up  our  bundlos.  This  task  fifll  to 
Hepburn's  share,  as  I  sull'ered  so  much  from  the  cold 
as  to  be  unable  to  take  my  hands  out  of  my  mittens. 
We  kept  a  straight  course  for  the  Dog-rib  Bock, 
but  owing  to  the  depth  of  the  snow  in  the  valleys  we 
had  to  cross,  did  not  reach  it  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon. We  would  have  encamped,  but  did  not  like  to 
pass  a  second  night  without  fire  ;  and  "though  scarcely 
able  to  drag  our  limbs  after  us,  we  pushed  on  to  a 
clump  of  pines,  about  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  the 
rock,  and  arrived  at  them  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening. 
During  the  last  few  hundred  yards  of  our  march,  our 
track  lay  over  some  large  stones,  amongst  which  I  fell 
down  upwards  of  twenty  times,  and  became  at  length 
so  exhausted  that  I  was  unable  to  stand.  If  Hep- 
burn had  not  exerted  himself  far  beyond  his  strength, 
and  speedily  made  the  encampment  and  kindled  a 
fire,  I  must  have  perished  on  the  spot.  This  night 
we  had  plenty  of  dry  wood. 

On  the  29  th  we  had  clear  and  fine  weather.  We 
3et  out  at  sunrise,  and  hurried  on  in  our  anxiety  to 
reach  the  house,  but  our  progress  was  much  impeded 
by  the  great  depth  of  the  snow  in  the  valleys.  Al- 
though every  spot  of  ground  over  which  we  traveled 
to-day,  had  been  repeatedly  trodden  by  us,  yet  we  got 
bewildered  in  a  small  lake.  We  took  it  for  Marten 
Lake,  which  was  three  times  its  size,  and  fancied  that 


fell  to 
Lo  cold 
ittens. 
Rock, 
Dys  we 
after- 
like  to 
carcely 
a  to  a 
of  the 
zoning, 
ch,  our 
h  I  foil 
length 
■  Hep- 
rength, 
idled  a 
night 


■"  J  Kt'i  •^'f 


r. 


Wo 

dety  to 
iipeded 
s.  Al- 
raveled 
we  got 
Marten 
lmI  that 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


341 


we  saw  the  rapid  and  the  grounds  about  the  fort,  al- 
though they  were  still  far  distant.  Our  disappoint- 
ment when  this  illusion  was  dispelled,  by  our  reach- 
ing the  end  of  the  lake,  so  operated  on  our  feeble 
minds  as  to  exhaust  our  strength,  and  we  decided 
upon  encamping ;  but  upon  ascending  a  small  emi- 
nence to  look  for  a  clump  of  wood,  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  Big-Stone,  a  well  known  rock  upon  the 
summit  of  a  hill  opposite  to  the  Fort,  and  determined 
upon  proceeding.  In  the  evening  we  saw  several 
large  herds  of  reindeer,  but  Hepburn,  who  used  to  be 
considered  a  good  marksman,  was  now  unable  to  hold 
the  gun  straight^  and  although  he  got  near  them,  all 
his  efforts  proved  fruitlesb.  In  passing  through  a 
small  clump  of  pines  we  saw  a  flock  of  partridges, 
and  he  succeeded  in  killing  one  after  firing  several 
shots.  We  came  in  sight  of  the  fort  at  dusk,  and  it 
is  impossible  to  describe  our  sensations,  when  on  at- 
taining the  eminence  that  overlooks  it,  we  beheld  the 
smoke  issuing  from  one  of  the  chimneys.  From'  not 
having  met  with  any  footsteps  in  the  snow,  as  we  drew 
nigh  our  once  cheerful  residence,  we  had  been  agitated 
by  many  melancholy  forebodings.  Upon  entering  the 
now  desolate  building,  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  em- 
bracing Captain  Franklin,  but  no  words  can  convey 
an  idea  of  the  filth  and  wretchedness  that  met  our 
eyes  on  looking  around.     Our  own  misery  had  stolen 


«w 


f 


I; 


842 


Thirty  Years 


upon  us  by  degrees,  and  we  were  accustomed  to  the 
contemplation  of  each  other's  emaciated  figures,  but 
the  ghastly  countenances,  dilated  eye-balls,  and 
sepulchral  voices  of  Mr.  Franklin  and  those  with  him, 
were  more  than  we  could  at  first  bear. 

Conclusion  of  Dr.  Bichardson's  Narrative, 


The  morning  of  the  31st  was  very  cold,  the  wind 
being  strong  from  the  north.  Hepburn  went  again  in 
quest  of  deer,  and  the  Doctor  endeavored  to  kill  some 
partridges  :  both  were  unsuccessful  A  large  herd  of 
deer  passed  close  to  the  house,  the  Doctor  fired  once 
at  them,  but^was  unable  to  pursue  them.  Adam  was 
easier  this  d^,  and  left  his  bed.  Peltier  and  Samandrd 
were  much  weaker,  and  could  not  assist  in  the 
labors  of  the  day.  Both  complained  of  soreness  in 
the  throat,  and  Samandrd  suffered  much  from  cramps 
in  his  fingers.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn  began  this 
day  to  cut  the  wood,  and  also  brought  it  to  the  house. 
Being  too  weak  to  aid  in  these  laborious  tasks,  I  was 
employed  in  searching  for  bones,  and  cocking,  and  at- 
tending to  our  more  weakly  companions. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


343 


to  the 
;s,  but 
,  and 
ti  him, 


e. 


e  wind 
ain  in 

.1  some 
erd  of 

Id  once 

,m  was 
andrd 
n  the 
ess  in 
ramps 
,n  this 
Ihouse. 
I  was 
Ind  at- 


In  the  evening,  Peltier,  complaining  much  of  cold, 
requested  of  me  a  portion  of  a  blanket  to  repair  his 
shirt  and  drawers.  The  mending  of  these  articles  oc- 
cupied him  and  Samandr^  until  past  one  A.M.,  and 
their  spirits  were  so  much  revived  by  the  employment, 
that  they  conversed  even  cheerfully  the  whole  time. 
Adam  sat  up  with  them.  The  Doctor,  Hepburn,  and 
myself,  went  to  bed.  We  were  afterwards  agreeably 
surprised  to  see  Peltier  and  Samandr^  carry  three  or 
four  logs  of  wood  across  the  room  to  replenish  the  fire, 
which  induced  us  to  hope  they  still  possessed  more 
strength  than  we  had  supposed. 

November  1. — This  day  was  fine  and  mild.  Hep- 
burn went  hunting,  but  was  as  usual  unsuccessful.  As 
his  strength  was  rapidly  declining,  we  advised  him  to 
desist  from  the  pursuit  of  deer ;  and  only  to  go  out 
for  a  short  time  and  endeavor  to  kill  a  few  partridges 
for  Peltier  and  Samandr6.  The  Doctor  obtained  a 
little  tripe  de  roche^  but  Peltier  could  noreat  any  of 
it,  and  Samandr6  only  a  few  spoonfuls^  owing  to  the 
soreness  of  their  throats.  In  the  afternoon  Peltier 
was  so  much  exhausted,  that  he  sat  up  with  difficulty, 
and  looked  piteously  ;  at  length  he  slided  from  his 
stool  upon  his  bed,  as  we  supposed  to  sleep,  and  in 
this  composed  state  he  remained  upwards  of  two  hours, 
without  our  apprehending  any  danger.  We  were 
then  alarmed  by  hearing  a  rattling  in  his  throat,  and 


•"•-w— ■*¥■<■• 


344 


Thirty  Years 


on  the  Doctor's  examining  him  ho  was  found  to  ho 
speechless.  He  died  in  the  course  of  tlio  night.  S.'i< 
mandr6  sat  up  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  even 
assisted  in  pounding  some  bones ;  but  on  witnessing 
the  melancholy  state  of  Peltier,  he  became  very  low, 
and  began  to  complain  of  cold  and  stiffness  of  the 
*  joints.  Being  unable  to  keep  up  a  sufficient  fire  to 
warm  him,  we  laid  him  down  and  covered  him  with 
several  blankets.  He  did  not,  however,  appear  to  got 
better,  and  I  deeply  lament  to  add,  he  also  died  before 
daylight.  We  removed  the  bodies  of  the  deceased 
into  the  opposite  part  of  the  house,  but  our  united 
strength  was  inadequate  to  the  task  of  interring  them, 
or  even  carrying  them  down  to  the  river. 

It  may  be  worthy  of  remark  that  poor  Peltier,  from 
the  time  of  Benoit's  departure,  had  fixed  on  the  first 
of  November  as  the  time  when  he  should  cease  to  ex- 
pect any  relief  from  the  Indians,  and  had  repeatedly 
said  that  iC  they  did  not  arrive  by  that  day,  he  should 
not  survive. 

Peltier  had  endeared  himself  to  each  of  us  by  hit 
cheerfulness,  his  unceasing  activity,  and  affectionate 
care  and  attentions,  ever  since  our  arrival  at  this 
place.  He  had  nursed  Adam  with  the  tendercst  solic- 
itude the  whole  time.  Poor  SamandrA  was  willing  to 
have  taken  his  share  in  the  labors  of  the  party,  had 
he  not  been  wholly  incapacitated  by  his  weakness  and 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


345 


ind  to  bo 
;ht.  Sa- 
and  oven 
itncssing 
very  low, 
)88  of  iho 
int  firo  to 
him  with 
(ar  to  got 
od  boforo 
deceased 
ur  united 
ing  them, 

tier,  from 
the  first 
ISO  to  cx- 
Eipeatedljr 
16  should 

IS  by  hif 
ectionato 
1  at  this 
est  solic- 
villing  to 
arty,  had 
(nesB  and 


iow  spirits.  The  severe  shock  occasioned  by  tho  sud- 
den dissolution  of  our  two  companions  rendered  us 
very  melancholy.  Adam  became  low  and  despondent, 
a  change  which  wo  lamented  tho  more,  as  wo  had  per- 
ceived ho  had  been  gaining  strength  and  spirits  for  tho 
two  preceding  days.  I  was  particularly  distressed  by 
tho  thought  that  the  labor  of  collecting  wood  must 
now  devolve  upon  Dr.  Kichardson  and  Hepburn,  and 
that  my  debility  would  disablo  me  from  affording  them 
any  material  assistance  ;  indeed  both  of  them  most 
kindly  urged  mo  not  to  make  tho  attempt.  They 
were  occupied  tho  whole  of  tho  next  day  in  tearing 
down  the  logs  of  which  the  store-houso  was  built, 
but  the  mud  plastered  between  them  was  so  hard 
frozen  that  tho  labor  of  separation  exceeded  their 
strength,  and  they  wore  completely  exhausted  by 
bringing  in  wood  sufficient  for  less  than  twelve  hours' 
consumption.  ^, 

I  found  it  necessary  in  their  absence,  io  remain 
constantly  near  Adam,  and  to  converse  with  him,  in 
order  to  prevent  his  reflecting  on  our  condition,  and 
to  keep  up  his  spirits  as  far  as  possible.  I  also  lay 
by  his  side  at  night. 

On  tho  3d  the  weather  was  very  cold,  though  the 

atmosphere  was  cloudy.     This  morning  Hepburn  was 

affectod  with  swelling  in  his  limbs,  his  strength,  as 

well  OS  that  of  the  Doctor,  was  rapidly  declining  ; 

15» 


■pmi 


mmm 


mmm 


346 


Thirty  Years 


they  continued,  however,  to  be  full  of  hope.  Their 
utmost  exertions  could  only  supply  wood  to  renew  the 
fire  thrice,  and  on  making  it  up  the  last  time  we  went 
to  bed.  Adam  was  rather  in  better  spirits,  but  ho 
could  not  bear  to  be  left  alone.  Our  stock  of  bones 
was  exhausted  by  a  small  quantity  of  soup  we  made 
this  evening.  The  toil  of  separating  the  hair  from 
the  skins,  which  in  fact  were  our  chief  support,  had 
now  become  so  wearisome  ag  to  prevent  us  from  eat- 
ing as  much  as  we  should  otherwise  have  done. 

November  4. — Calm  and  comparatively  mild  wea- 
ther. The  Doctor  and  Hepburn,  exclusive  of  their 
usual  occupation,  gathered  some  tripe  de  roche.  I 
went  a  few  yards  from  the  house  in  search  of  bones, 
and  returned  quite  fatigued,  having  found  but  three. 
The  Doctor  again  made  incisions  in  Adam's  legs, 
which  discharged  a  considerable  quantity  of  water,  and 
gave  him  great  relief.  We  read  prayers  and  a  portion 
of  the  New  Testament  in  the  morning  and  evening,  as 
had  been  our  practice  since  Dr.  Bichardson's  arrival ; 
and  I  may  remark  that  the  performance  of  these  duties 
always  afforded  us  the  greatest  consolation,  serving  to 
reanimate  our  hope  in  the  mercy  of  the  Omnipotent, 
who  alone  could  save  and  deliver  us. 

On  the  5th  the  breezes  were  light,  with  dark  cloudy 
weather,  and  some  snow.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn 
were  getting  much  weaker,  and  the  limbs  of  the  lat- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


347 


ter  were  now  greatly  swelled.  They  came  into  the 
house  frequently  in  the  course  of  the  day  to  rest  them- 
selves, and  when  once  seated,  were  unable  to  rise  with- 
out the  help  of  one  another,  or  of  a  stick.  Adam  was 
for  the  most  part  in  the  same  low  state  as  yesterday, 
but  sometimes  he  surprised  us  by  getting  up  and  walk- 
ing with  an  appearance  of  increased  strength.  His 
looks  were  now  wild  and  ghastly,  and  his  conversation 
was  often  incoherent. 

The  next  day  was  fine,  but  very  cold.  The  swellings 
in  Adam's  limbs  having  subsided,  he  was  free  from 
pain,  and  arose  this  morning  in  much  better  spirits, 
and  spoke  of  cleaning  his  gun  ready  for  shooting  par- 
tridges, or  any  animals  that  might  appear  near  the 
house,  but  his  tone  entirely  changed  before  the  day 
was  half  over  ;  he  became  again  dejected,  and  could 
scarcely  be  prevailed  upon  to  eat.  The  Doctor  and 
Hepburn  were  almost  exhausted.  The  cutting  of  one 
log  of  wood  occupied  the  latter  half  an  hour  ;  and  the 
other  took  as,  much  time  to  drag  it  into  the  house, 
though  the  distance  did  not  exceed  thirty  yards.  I 
endeavored  to  help  the  Doctor,  but  my  assistance  Was 
very  trifling.  Yet  it  was  evident  that,  in  a  day  or 
two,  if  their  strength  should  continue  to  decline  at 
the  same  rate,  I  should  be  the  strongest  of  the  party. 

I  may  here  remark,  that  owing  to  our  loss  of  flesh, 
the  hardness  of  the  floor,  from  which  we  were  only 


mmmmfft 


348 


Thirty  Tears 


protected  by  a  blanket,  produced  soreness  over  tb^ 
body,  and  especially  those  parts  on  which  the  weight 
rested  in  lying,  yet  to  turn  ourselves  for  relief  was  « 
matter  of  toil  and  difficulty.     However,  during  this 
period,  and  indeed  all  along  after  the  acute  pains  of 
hunger,  which  lasted  but  three  or  four  days,  had  sub- 
sided, we  generally  enjoyed  the  comfort  of  a  few  hours' 
sleep.     The  dreams  which  for  the  most  part,  but  not 
always  accompanied  it,  were  usually  (though  not  in- 
variably,) of  a  pleasant  character,  being  very  often 
about  the  enjoyments  of  feasting.     In  the  day-time 
we  fell  into  the  practice  of  conversing  on  common  and 
light  subjects,  although  we  sometimes  discussed  with 
seriousness  and  earnestness  topics  connected  with  reli- 
gion.    We  generally  avoided  speaking  directly  of  our 
present  sufferings,  or  even  of  the  prospect  of  relief.     I 
observed,  that  in  proportion  as  our  strength  decayed, 
our  minds  exhibited  symptoms  of  weakness,  evinced  by 
a  kind  of  unreasonable  pettishness  with  each  other. 
Each  of  us  thought  the  other  weaker  in  intellect  than 
himself,  and  more  in  need  of  advice  and  assistance. 
So  ^rifling  a  circumstance  as  a  change  of  place  re- 
commended by  one  as  being  warmer  and  more  comfort- 
able, and  refused  by  the  other  from  a  dread  of  motion, 
frequently  called  forth  fretful  expressions  which  were 
no  sooner  uttered  than  atoned  for,  to  be  repeated  per- 
haps in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes.    The  same  thing 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


349 


often  occurred  when  we  endeavored  to  assist  each  other 
in  carrying  wood  to  the  fire  ;  none  of  us  were  willing 
to  receive  assistance,  although  the  task  was  dispro- 
portionate to  our  strength.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
Hepburn  was  so  convinced  of  this  waywardness  that 
he  exclaimed,  "  Dear  me,  if  we  are  spared  to  return 
to  England,  I  wonder  if  we  shall  recover  our  under- 
standings." 

November  7. — Adam  had  passed  a  restless  night, 
being  disquieted  by  gloomy  apprehensions  of  approach- 
ing death,  which  we  tried  in  vain  to  dispel.  He  was 
80  low  in  the  morning  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  speak. 
I  remained  in  bed  by  his  side  to  cheer  him  as  much  as 
possible.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn  went  to  cut  wood. 
They  had  hardly  begun  their  labor,  when  they  were 
amazed  at  hearing  the  report  of  a  musket.  They  could 
scarcely  believe  that  there  was  really  any  one  near, 
until  they  heard  a  shout,  and  immediately  espied  three 
Indians  close  to  the  house.  Adam  and  I  heard  the  latr 
ter  noise,  and  I  was  fearful  that  a  part  of  the  house  had 
fallen  upon  one  of  my  companions,  a  disaster  which 
had  in  fact  been  thought  not  unlikely.  My  alarm 
was  only  momentary.  Dr.  Bichardson  came  in  to  com- 
municate the  ioyfnl  intfsllijjence  that  relief  had  arrived. 
He  and  myself  immediately  addressed  thanksgiving 
to  the  throne  of  mercy  for  this  deliverance,  but  poor 
Adam  was  in.  so  low  a  state  that  he  could  scarcely 


350 


Thirty  Tears 


comprehend  the  information.  When  the  Indians  en- 
tered, he  attempted  to  rise  but  sank  down  again.  But 
for  this  seasonable  interposition  of  Providence,  his  ex- 
istence must  have  terminated  in  a  few  hours,  and  that 
of  the  rest  probably  in  not  many  days. 

The  Indians  had  left  Akaitcho's  encampment  on  the 
5th  November,  having  been  sent  by  Mr.  Back  with  all 
possible  expedition,  after  he  had  arrived  at  their  tents. 
They  brought  but  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  that 
they  might  travel  quickly.  It  consisted  of  dried  deer's 
meat,  some  fat,  and  a  few  tongues.  Dr.  Bichardson, 
Hepburn,  and  I,  eagerly  devoured  the  food,  which 
they  imprudently  presented  to  us,  in  too  great  abun- 
dance, and  in  consequence  we  suffered  dreadfully  from 
indigestion,  and  had  no  rest  the  whole  night.  Adam 
being  unable  to  feed  himself,  was  more  judiciously 
treated  by  them,  and  suffered  less  ;  his  spirits  reviv- 
ed hourly.  The  circumstance  of  our  eating  more  food 
than  was  proper  in  our  present  condition,  was  another 
striking  proof  of  the  debility  of  our  minds.  We  were 
perfectly  aware  of  the  danger,  and  Dr.  Bichardson  re- 
peatedly cautioned  us  to  be  moderate  ;  but  he  was 
himself  unable  to  practise  the  caution  he  so  judicious- 
ly recommended. 

Boudel-kell,  the  youngest  of  the  Indians,  after  rest- 
ing about  an  hour,  returned  to  Akaitcho  with  the  in- 
telligence of  our  situation,  and  he  conveyed  a  note 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


351 


from  me  to  Mr.  Back,  requesting  another  supply  of 
meat  as  soon  as  possible.  The  two  others,  "  Crooked- 
Foot  and  the  Rat,"  remained  to  take  care  of  us,  until 
we  should  be  able  to  move  forward. 

The  note  I  received  by  the  Indians  from  Mr.  Back, 
communicated  a  tale  of  distress  with  regard  to  him- 
self and  his  party,  as  painful  as  that  which  we  had 
suffered ;  as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  by  his  own  narm- 
tive. 

November  8. — The  Indians  this  morning  requested 
us  to  remove  to  an  encampment  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  as  they  were  unwilling  to  remain  in  the  house 
in  which  the  bodies  of  our  deceased  companions  were 
lying  exposed  to  view.  We  agreed  to  remove  but  the 
day  proved  too  stormy,  and  Dr.  Richardson  and  Hep- 
burn having  dragged  the  bodies  to  a  short  distance,  and 
covered  them  j(irith  snow,  the  objections  of  the  Indians 
to  remain  in  the  house  were  removed,  and  they  began 
to  clear  our  room  of  the  accumulation  of  dirt  and 
fragments  of  pounded  bones.  The  improved  state  of  our 
apartment,  and  the  large  and  cheerful  fires  they  kept 
up,  produced  in  us  a  sensation  of  comfort  to  which  we 
had  long  been  strangers.  In  the  evening  they  brought 
in  a  pile  of  dried  wood,  which  was  lying  on  thq^river 
side,  and  on  which  we  had  often  cast  a  wishful  eye, 
being  unable  to  drag  it  up  the  bank.  The  Indians  set 
about  every  thing  with  an  activity  that  amazed  us. 


mmm 


352 


Thirty  Years 


L      : 


Indeed,  contrasted  with  our  emaciated  figures  and  ex- 
treme debility,  their  frames  appeared  to  us  gigantic,  and 
their  strength  supernatural.  These  kind  creatures  next 
turned  their  attention  to  our  personal  appeararce,  and 
prevailed  upon  us  to  shave  and  wash  ourselves.  The 
beards  of  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn  had  been  untouch- 
ed since  they  left  the  sea  coast,  and  were  become  of  a 
hideous  length,  and  peculiarly  offensive  to  the  In- 
dians.* The  Doctor  and  I  suffered  extremely  from 
distention,  and  therefore  ate  sparingly.  Hepburn  was 
getting  better,  and  Adam  recovered  his  strength  with 
amazing  rapidity. 

November  9. — This  morning  was  pleasantly  fine. 
Crooked-Foot  caught  four  large  trout  in  Winter  Lake, 
which  were  very  much  prized,  especially  by  the  Doctor 
and  myself,  who  had  taken  a  dislike  to  meat,  in  con- 
sequence of  our  sufferings  from  repletiop,  which  ren- 
dered us  almost  incapable  of  moving.  Adam  and 
Hepburn  in  a  great  measure  escaped  this.  Though 
the  night  was  stormy,  and  our  apartment  freely  ad- 
mitted the  wind,  we  felt  no  inconvenience,  the  Indians 
were  so  very  careful  in  covering  us  u^,  and  in  keeping  a 

*  The  first  alviDe  discharges  after  we  received  food,  were,  as  Heame 
remarks  on  a  similar  occasion,  attended  with  excessive  pain.  Previous 
to  the  arrival  of  the  Indians,  the  urinary  secretion  was  extremely  abun- 
dant, and  we  were  obliged  to  rise  from  bed  in  consequence  upwards  of 
ton  times  in  a  night.  This  was  an  extreme  annoyance  in  our  reduced 
state.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  attributed  to  the  quantity  of  the  couQ!ry 
tea  that  we  drank. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


353 


good  fire  ;  and  our  plentiful  cheer  gave  such  power  of 
resisting  the  cold,  that  we  could  scarcely  believe  other- 
wise than  that  the  season  had  become  milder. 

On  the  13th,  the  weather  was  stormy,  with  constant 
snow.  The  Indians  became  desponding  at  the  non- 
arrival  of  the  supply,  and  would  neither  go  to  hunt 
nor  fish.  They  frequently  expressed  their  fears  of 
some  misfortune  having  befarjn  Boudel-kell ;  and,  in 
the  evening,  went  off  suddenly,  without  apprizing  us 
of  their  intention,  having  first  given  to  each  of  us  a 
handful  of  pounded  meat,  which  they  had  reserved. 
Their  departure,  at  first,  gave  rise  to  a  suspicion  of 
their  having  deserted  us,  not  meaning  to  return,  espe- 
cially as  the  explanations  of  Adam,  who  appeared  to 
be  in  their  secret,  were  very  unsatisfactory.  At  length, 
by  interrogations,  we  got  from  him  the  information, 
that  they  designed  to  march  night  and  day,  until  they 
should  reach  Akaitcho's  encampment,  whence  they 
would  send  us  aid.  As  we  had  combated  their  fears 
about  Boudel-k  11,  they,  perhaps,  apprehended  that 
we  fhouid  oppose  their  determination,  and  therefore 
concealed  it.  We  were  now  left  a  second  time  with- 
out food,  and  with  appetites  recovered,  and  strongly 
excited  by  recent  indulgence. 

On  the  following  day  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn  re- 
sumed their  former  occupation  of  collecting  wood,  and 
I  was  able  to  assist  a  little  in  bringing  it  into  the 


354 


Tliirty  Tears 


house.  Adam,  whose  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Indians  had  heen  raised  by  the  fineness  of  the  weather, 
became,  towards  night,  very  desponding,  and  refused 
to  eat  the  singed  skin.  The  night  was  stormy,  and* 
there  was  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  The  next  day  he  be- 
came still  more  dejected.  About  eleven  Hepburn, 
who  had  gone  out  for  wood,  came  in  with  the  intelli- 
gence that  a  party  appeared  upon  the  river.  The 
room  was  instantly  swept,  and,  in  compliance  with 
the  prejudices  of  the  Indians,  every  scrap  of  skin  was 
carefully  removed  out  of  sight;  for  these  simple  peo- 
ple imagine,  that  burning  deer- skin  renders  them  un- 
successful in  hunting.  The  party  proved  to  be 
Crooked-Foot,  Thooee-}  orro,  and  the  Fop,  with  the 
wives  of  the  two  latter  dragging  provisions.  They 
were  accompanied  by  Benoit,  one  of  our  own  men. 

We  were  rejoiced  to  learn,  by  a  note  from  Mr.*  Back, 
dated  November  11,  that  he  and  his  companions  had 
so  recruited  their  strength  that  they  were  preparing  to 
proceed  to  Fort  Providence.  Adam  recovered  his  spirits 
on  the  arrival  of  the  Indians,  and  even  walked  about 
the  room  with  an  appearance  of  strength  and  activity 
that -surprised  us  all.  As  it  wds  of  consequence  to  get 
amongst  the  reindeer  before  our  present  supply  should 
fail,  we  made  preparations  for  quitting  Fort  Enter- 
prize  the  next  day  ;  and,  accordingly,  at  an  early  hour 
on  the  16th,  having  united  in  thanksgiving  «nd  prayer, 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


855 


the  whole  party  left  the  house  after  breakfast.  Our 
feelings  on  quitting  the  Fort,  where  we  had  formerly 
enjoyed  much  comfort,  if  not  happiness,  and,  latterly, 
experienced  a  degree  of  misery  scarcely  to  be  paralelled, 
may  be  more  easily  conceived  than  described.  The 
Indians  treated  us  with  the  utmost  tenderness,  gave 
us  their  snow-shoes  and  walked  without  themselves, 
keeping  by  our  sides,  that  they  might  lift  us  when  we 
fell.  We  descended  Winter  River,  and,  about  noon, 
crossed  the  head  of  Bound-Bock  Lake,  distant  about 
three  miles  from  the  house,  where  we  were  obliged  to 
halt,  as  Dr.  Bichardson  was  unable  to  proceed.  The 
swellings  in  his  limbs  rendered  him  bv  much  the  weak- 
est  of  the  party.  The  Indians  prepared  our  encamp- 
ment, cooked  for  us,  and  fed  us  as  if  we  had  been 
children  ;  evincing  humanity  that  would  have  done 
honor  to  the  most  civilized  people.  The  night  was 
mild,  and  fc*iigue  made  us  sleep  soundly. 

From  this  period  to  the  26th  of  November  we 
gradually  continued  to  improve,  under  the  kindness 
and  attention  of  our  Indians.  On  this  day  we  arrived 
in  safety  at  the  abode  of  our  chief  and  companion, 
Akaitcho.  We  were  received  by  the  party  assembled 
in  the  leader's  tent,  with  looks  of  compassion,  and 
profound  silence,  which  lasted  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  by  which  they  meant  to  express  their  condo- 
lence for  our  8ufferino:s.     The  conversation  did  not  bo- 


".U'lHHtllliU 


KB- 


356 


Thirty  Tears 


gin  until  we  had  tasted  food.  The  Chief,  Akaitcho, 
shewed  us  the  most  friendly  hospitality,  and  all  sorts 
of  personal  attention,  even  to  cooking  for  us  with  his 
own  hands,  an  office  which  he  never  performs  for  him- 
self. Annoethaiyazzeh  and  Humpy,  the  Chiefs  two 
brothers,  and  several  of  our  hunters,  with  their  fami- 
lies, were  encamped  here,  together  with  a  number  of 
old  men  and  women.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we 
were  visited  by  every  person  of  the  band,  not  merely 
from  curiosity,  I  conceive,  but  rather  from  a  desire  to 
evince  their  tender  sympathy  in  our  late  distress.  We 
learned  that  Mr.  Back,  with  St.  Germain  and  Belan- 
ger,  had  gone  to  Fort  Providence  ;  and  that,  previous 
to  his  departure,  he  had  left  a  letter  in  a  cac^e  of 
pounded  meat,  which  he  had  missed  two  days  ago. 
As  we  supposed  that  this  letter  might  acquaint  us 
with  his  intentions  more  fully  than  we  could  gather 
from  the  Indians,  through  our  imperfect  knowledge 
of  their  language,  Augustus,  the  Esquimaux,  whom 
we  found  here  in  peifect  health,  and  an  Indian  lad, 
were  dispatched  to  bring  it. 

We  found  several  of  the  Indian  families  in  great 
affliction,  for  the  loss  of  three  of  their  relatives,  who 
had  been  drowned  in  the  August  preceding,  by  the 
upsetting  of  a  canoe  near  to  Fort  Enterprize.  They 
bewailed  the  melancholy  accident  every  morning  and 
evening,  by  repeating  the  names  of  the  persons  in  a 


In  the  Arctic  Eegtons. 


357  • 


loud  singing  tone,  which  was  frequently  interrupted 
by  bursts  of  tears.  One  woman  was  so  affected  by  the 
loss  of  her  only  son,  that  she  seemed  deprived  of  rea- 
son, and  wandered  about  the  tents  the  whole  day,  cry- 
ing and  singing  out  his  name. 

On  the  1st  of  December  we  removed  with  the  In- 
dians to  the  southward. 

On  the  4th,  we  again  set  off  after  the  Indians  about 
noon,  and  soon  overtook  them,  as  they  had  halted  to 
drag  from  the  water,  and  cut  up  and  share,  a  moose- 
deer,  that  had  been  drowned  in  a  rapid  part  of  the 
river,  partially  covered  with  ice.  These  operations  de- 
tained us  a  long  time,  which  was  the  more  disagreea- 
ble, as  the  weather  was  extremely  unpleasant  from 
cold  low  fogs.  We  were  all  much  fatigued  at  the 
hour  of  encampment,  which  was  after  dark,  though 
the  day's  journey  did  not  exceed  four  miles.  At  every 
halt  the  elderly  men  of  the  tribe  used  to  make  holes  in 
the  ice  and  put  in  their  lines.  One  of  them  shared 
the  produce  of  his  fishery  with  us  this  evening. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  6th,  Belanger,  and  another 
Canadian,  arrived  from  Fort  Providence,  sent  by  Mr. 
Weeks,  with  two  trains  of  dogs,  some  spirits  and  to- 
bacco for  the  Indians,  a  change  of  dress  for  ourselves, 
and  a  little  tea  and  sugar.  They  also  brought  letters 
for  us  from  England,  and  from  Mr.  Back  and  Mr. 
Wentzel.     By  the  former  we  received  the  gratifying 


358 


Thirty  Tears 


inteHigence  of  the  successful  termination  of  Captain 
Parry's  voyage  ;  and  were  informed  of  the  promotion 
of  myself  and  Mr.  Back^  and  of  poor  Hood,  our  grief 
for  whose  loss  was  renewed  by  this  intelligence.  The 
gratification  which  it  would  otherwise  have  afforded, 
was  materially  damped  by  our  sincere  regret  that  he 
had  not  lived  to  receive  this  just  reward  of  his  merit 
and  services.  The  letter  from  Mr.  Back  stated,  that 
the  rival  Companies  in  the  fur  trade  had  united  ;  but 
that,  owing  to  some  cause  which  had  not  been  ex- 
plained to  him,  the  goods  intended  as  rewards  to 
Akaitcho  and  his  band,  which  we  had  demanded  in  the 
spring  from  the  North- West  Company,  were  not  sent. 
There  were,  however,  some  stores  1}  ing  for  us  at  Moose- 
deer  Island,  which  had  been  ordered  for  the  equipment 
of  our  voyagers  ;  and  Mr.  Back  had  gone  across  to  that 
establishment,  to  make  a  selection  of  the  articles  we 
could  spare  for  a  temporary  present  to  the  Indians. 
The  disappc^'ntment  at  the  non-arrival  of  the  goods 
was  seriously  felt  by  us,  as  we  had  looked  forward  with 
pleasure  to  the  time  when  we  should  be  enabled  to 
recompense  our  kind  Indian  friends,  for  their  tender 
sympathy  in  our  distresses,  and  the  assistance  they 
had  so  cheerfully  and  promptly  rendered.  I  now  re- 
gretted to  find,  that  Mr.  Wentzel  and  his  party,  in 
their  return  from  the  sea,  had  suffered  severely  on 
their  march  along  the  Copper-Mine  Eiver,  having  on 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


350 


one  occasion,  as  he  mentioned,  had  no  food  hwt* tripe 
de  roche  for  eleven  days. 

All  the  Indians  flocked  to  our  encampment  to  learn 
the  news,  and  to  receive  the  articles  brought  for  them. 
Having  got  some  spirits  and  tobacco,  they  withdrew  to 
the  tent  of  the  Chief,  and  passed  the  greater  part  of 
the  night  in  singing.  We  had  now  the  indescribable 
gratification  of  changing  our  linen,  which  we  had  worn 
ever  since  our  departure  from  the  sea-coast. 

December  8. — After  a  long  conference  with  Akaitcho, 
we  took  leave  of  him  and  his  kind  companions,  and 
set  out  with  two  sledges,  heavily  laden  with  provision 
and  bedding,  drawn  by  the  dogs,  and  conducted  by 
Belanger  and  the  Canadian  sent  by  Mr.  Weeks.  Hep- 
burn and  Augustus  jointly  dragged  a  smaller  sledge, 
laden  principally  with  their  own  bedding.  Adam  and 
Benoit  were  left  to  follow  with  the  Indians.  We  en- 
camped on  the  Grassy-Lake  Portage,  having  walked 
about  nine  miles,  principally  on  the  Yellow-Knife 
Eiver.  It  was  open  at  the  rapids,  and  in  these  places 
we  had  to  ascend  its  banks,  and  walk  through  the 
woods  for  some  distance,  which  was  very  fatiguing, 
especially  to  Dr.  Richardson,  whose  feet  were  severely 
galled  in  consequence  of  some  defect  in  his  snow- 
shoes. 

On  the  11th,  however,  we  arrived  at  the  Fort ;  it 
was  still  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Weeks.    He  wol- 


360 


Thirty  Tears 


conicd  us  in  the  most  kind  manner,  immediately  gave 
us  changes  of  dress,  and  did  every  thing  in  his  power 
to  make  us  comfortable. 

Our  sensations,  on  being  once  more  in  a  comfortable 
dwelling,  after  the  series  of  hardships  and  miseries  we 
had  experienced,  will  be  much  better  imagined  than 
any  language  of  mine  can  describe  them.  Our  first 
act  was  again  to  return  our  grateful  praises  to  the 
Almighty  for  the  manifold  instances  of  his  mercy  to- 
wards us.  Having  found  here  some  articles,  which 
Mr.  Back  had  sent  across  from  Moose-deer  Island,  I 
determined  on  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Akaitcho  and 
his  party,  in  order  to  present  these  to  them,  and  to 
assure  them  of  the  promised  reward,  as  noon  as  it 
could  possibly  be  procured. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  Akaitcho,  with  his 
whole  band,  came  to  the  Fort.  He  smoked  his  cus- 
tomary pipe,  and  made  an  address  to  Mr.  Weeks  in 
the  hall,  previous  to  his  coming  into  the  room  in  which 
Dr.  Richardson  and  I  were.  We  discovered  at  the 
commencement  of  his  speech  to  us,  that  he  had  been 
informed  that  our  expected  supplies  had  not  come. 
He  spoke  of  this  circumstance  as  a  disappointment, 
indeed,  sufficiently  severe  to  himself,  to  whom  his 
band  looked  up  for  the  protection  of  their  interests, 
but  without  attaching  any  blame  to  us.  "  The  world 
goes  badly/'  he  said,  *'  all  are  poor,  you  are  poor,  the 


WB»«V?<»r, 


In  the  Arctic  Begions, 


361 


traders  appear  to  be  poor,  I  and  my  party  are  poor 
likewise  ;  and  since  the  goods  have  not  come  in,  we 
cannot  have  them.  I  do  not  regret  having  supplied 
you  with  provisions,  for  a  Copper  Indian  can  never 
permit  white  men  to  suffer  from  want  of  food  on  his 
lands,  without  flying  to  their  aid.  I  trust,  however, 
that  we  shall,  as  you  say,  receive  what  is  due  next 
autumn  ;  and  at  all  events,"  he  added,  in  a  tone  of 
good  humor,  "  it  is  the  first  time  that  the  white  peo- 
ple have  been  indebted  to  the  Copper  Indians."  We 
assured  him  the  supplies  should  certainly  be  sent  to 
him  by  the  autumn,  if  not  before.  He  then  cheerfully 
received  the  small  present  we  made  to  himself ;  and, 
although  we  could  give  a  few  things  only  to  those 
who  had  been  most  active  in  our  service,  the  others 
who,  perhaps,  thought  themselves  equally  deserving, 
did  not  murmur  at  being  left  out  in  the  distribution. 
Akaitcho  afterwards  expressed  a  strong  desire,  that  we 
should  represent  the  character  of  his  nation  in  a  favor- 
able light  to  our  countrymen.  "I  know,"  he  said, 
"  you  write  down  every  occurrence  in  your  books ;  but 
probably  you  have  only  noticed  the  bad  things  we 
have  said  and  done,  and  have  omitted  to  mention  the 
good."  In  the  course  of  the  desultory  conversation 
which  ensued,  he  said,  that  he  had  been  always  told 
by  us,  to  consider  the  traders  in  the  same  light  as 

ourselves  :  and  that  for  his  part,  he  looked  upon  both 

16 


362 


Thirty  Year  a 


R8  equally  rcHpcctnhlo.  Tiiis  nMumnco,  nmdo  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Weeks,  was  particularly  gratifying  to 
us,  as  it  completely  diBproved  tlio  defence  that  had 
been  sot  up,  resjHJcting  the  injurious  reports  that  had 
l)cen  circulated  against  us,  amongst  the  Indians  in 
the  spring  ;  namely,  that  they  were  in  retaliation  for 
our  endeavors  to  lower  the  traders  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Indians.  I  take  this  opportunity  of  stating  ray 
opinion,  that  Mr.  Weeks,  in  spreading  these  reports, 
was  actuated  by  a  mistaken  idea  that  ho  was  serving 
the  interest  of  his  employers.  On  the  present  occasion, 
we  felt  indebted  to  him  for  the  sympathy  he  displayed 
for  our  distresses,  and  the  kindness  with  which  he  ad- 
niiniatcretl  to  our  personal  wants.  After  this  con- 
ference, such  Indians  as  were  indebted  to  the  Com- 
pany were  iMiid  for  the  provision  they  had  given  us, 
by  deducting  a  corresponding  sum  from  their  debts  ; 
in  the  same  way  wo  gave  a  reward  of  sixteen  skins  of 
beaver  to  each  of  the  jwrsons  who  had  come  to  our  re- 
lief at  Fort  Enterprizo.  As  tho  debts  of  Akaitcho 
and  his  hunters  had  been  effaced  at  the  time  of  his 
engagement  with  us,  we  placed  a  sum^  equal  to  tho 
amount  of  provision  they  had  recently  supplied,  to 
their  credit  on  the  Company's  Ixx^ks.  These  things 
being,  through  the  moderation  of  tho  Indians,  adjust- 
ed with  an  unexpected  facility,  we  gave  them  a  keg 
of  mixed  liquors,  (five  parts  water,)  and  distributed 


In  the  Arlic  RegioiiB. 


363 


among  them  several  fathoms  of  tobacco,  and  they  re- 
tired to  their  tents  to  spend  the  night  in  merriment. 

Adam,  our  interpreter,  being  desirous  of  uniting 
himself  with  the  Copper  Indians,  applied  to  me  for 
his  discharge,  which  I  granted,  and  gave  him  u  bill 
on  the  Hudson's  Buy  Company  for  the  amount  of  his 
wages.  These  arrangements  being  completed,  we  pre- 
pared to  cross  the  lake. 

Mr.  Weeks  provided  Dr.  Richardson  and  mo  with  a 
cariole  each,  and  we  set  out  at  eleven  A.M.,  on  the 
15th,  for  Moose-deer  Island.  Our  party  consisted  of 
Bellinger  who  had  charge  of  a  sledge,  laden  with  tlie 
bedding,  and  drawn  by  two  dogs,  our  two  cariole  men 
Benoit,  and  Augustus.  Previous  to  our  departure, 
we  had  another  conference  with  Akaitcho,  who,  as 
well  as  the  rest  of  hU  party,  bade  us  farewell,  with  a 
warmth  of  manner  rare  among  the  Indians. 

The  badness  of  Belanger's  dogs  and  the  roughness 
of  the  ice,  impeded  our  progress  very  much,  and  oblig- 
ed us  to  encamp  early.  We  had  a  good  fire  made  of 
the  drift  wood,  which  lines  the  shores  of  this  lake  in 
great  quantities.  The  next  day  was  very  cold.  We 
began  the  journey  at  nine  A.M.,  and  encamped  at  the 
Big  Cape,  having  made  another  short  march,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  roughness  of  the  ice. 

On  the  17th,  we  encamped  on  the  most  southerly 
of  the  Reindeer  Islands.     This  night  was  very  stormy, 


3G4 


Thirty  Ye(\r8 


but  the  wind  abating  in  the  morning,  we  procecdeil, 
and  by  sunset  reached  the  fishing  huts  of  the  Com- 
pany at  Stony  Point.  Here  we  found  Mr.  Andrews, 
a  clerk  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  regaled 
us  with  a  supper  of  excellent  white  fish,  for  which  this 
part  of  Slave  Lake  is  particularly  celebrated.  Two 
men  with  sledges  arrived  sogn  afterwards,  sent  by  Mr. 
M'Vicar,  who  expected  us  about  this  time.  We  set 
off  in  the  morning  before  day-break,  with  several 
companions,  and  arrived  at  Moose-deer  Island  about 
one  P.  M.  Hero  wo  were  received  with  the  utmost 
hospitality  by  Mr.  M'Vioar,  the  chief  trader  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  tliis  district,  as  well  as  by 
his  assistant,  Mr.  M'Auley.  Wo  had  also  the  happi- 
ness of  joining  our  friend  Mr.  Back  ;  our  feelings  on 
this  occasion  can  be  well  imagined  ;  we  were  deeply 
impressed  with  gratitude  to  him  for  his  exertions  in 
sending  the  supply  of  food  to  Fort  Enterprize,  to 
which,  under  Divine  Providence,  we  felt  the  preserva- 
tion of  our  lives  to  bo  owing.  He  gave  us  an  affecting 
detail  of  the  proceedings  of  his  party  since  our  separa- 
tion ;  the  substance  of  which  I  shall  convey  to  the 
reader,  by  the  following  extracts  from  his  Journal. 


^- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


86d 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


Mr.  BACK'S  NARRATIVE. 


1R21. 
Ootobur  4. 


Mr.  Franklin  having  directed  me  to  pro- 
ceed with  St.  Germain,  Belanger,  and  Beauparlant,  to 
Fort  Enterprize,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  relief  for  the 
party,  I  took  leave  of  my  companions,  and  set  out  on 
my  journey,  through  a  very  swampy  country,  which, 
with  the  cloudy  state  of  the  weather,  and  a  keen 
north-east  wind,  accompanied  by  frequent  snow  show- 
ers, retarded  us  so  much  that  we  scarcely  got  more 
than  four  miles,  when  we  halted  for  the  night,  and 
made  a  meal  of  tripz  de  roche  and  some  old  leather. 
On  the  5th,  we  set  out  early,  amidst  extremely  deep 
snow,  sinking  frequently  in  it  up  to  the  thighs,  a  la- 
bor in  our  enfeebled  and  almost  worn-out  state,  that 
nothing  but  the  cheering  hopes  of  reaching  the  house, 
and  affording  relief  to  our  friends,  could  have  enabled 
us  to  support.  As  we  advanced,  we  louna  to  our  mor- 
tification that  the  tripe  de  roche,  hitherto  our  sole  de- 


366 


Tliirty  Tears 


pendence,  began  to  be  scarce,  so  that  we  could  only 
collect  sufficient  to  make  half  a  kettleful,  which,  with 
the  addition  of  a  partridge  each,  that  St.  Germain  had 
killed,  made  us  a  tolerable  meal ;  during  this  day  I 
felt  very  weak  and  sore  in  the  joints,  particularly  be- 
tween the  shoulders.  At  night  we  encamped  among  a 
small  clump  of  willows. 

On  the  6th  we  set  out  at  an  early  hour,  pursuing 
our  route  over  a  range  of  hills,  at  the  foot  of  one  of 
which  we  saw  several  large  pines,  and  a  great  quan- 
tity of  willows  ;  a  sight  that  encouraged  us  to  quicken 
our  pace,  as  we  were  now  certain  we  could  not  be  far 
from  the  woods.  Indeed  we  were  making  considerable 
progress,  when  Belanger  unfortunately  broke  through 
the  ice,  and  sunk  up  to  the  hips.  The  weather  being 
cold,  he  was  in  danger  of  freezing^  but  some  brushwood 
on  the  borders  of  the  lake  enabled  us  to  make  a  lire 
to  dry  him.  At  the  same  time  we  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  refreshing  ourselves  with  a  kettle  of  swamp 
tea. 

My  increasing  debility  had  for  some  time  obliged 
me  to  use  a  stick  for  the  purpose  of  extending  my 
arms  ;  the  pain  in  my  shoulders  being  so  acute,  that  I 
could  not  bear  them  to  remain  in  the  usual  position 
for  two  minutes  together.  We  halted  at  five  among 
some  small  brushwood,  and  made  a  sorry  meal  of  an 
old  pair  of  leather  trowsers,  and  some  swamp  tea. 


In  tJie  Arctic  Regions. 


367 


could  only 
irhicb,  with 
Brmain  had 
this  day  I 
cularly  be- 
id  among  a 

',  pursuing 
i  of  one  of 
;reat  quan- 
to  quicken 
not  be  far 
)n8iderable 
ce  through 
ither  being 
brushwood 
lake  a  fire 
the  oppor- 
of  swamp 

le  obliged 
inding  my 
ite,  that  I 
il  position 


ve  amons: 
leal  of  an 
p  tea. 


The  night  was  cold  with  a  hard  frost,  and  though 
two  persons  slept  together,  yet  we  could  not  by  any 
means  keep  ourselves  warm,  but  remained  trembling 
the  whole  time.     The  following  morning  we  crossed 
several  lakes,  occasionally  seeing  the  recent  tracks  oi 
deer,  and  at  noon  we  fell  upon  Marten  Lake  ;  and  it 
happened  to  be  the  exact  spot  where  we  had  been  the 
last  year  with  the  canoes,  and  though  I  immediately 
recognized  the  place,  the  men  would  not  believe  it  to 
be  the  same  ;  at  length,  by  pointing  out  several  marks, 
•  and  relating  circumstances  connected  with  them,  they 
recovered  their  memory,  and  a  simultaneous  expres- 
sion of  "  Mon  Dieu,  nous  sommes  sauv^s,"  broke  out 
from  the  whole.     Contrary  to  our  expectations,  the 
lake  was  frozen  sufficiently  to  bear  us,  so  that  we  were 
excused  fiom  making  the  tours  of  the  different  bays. 
This  circumstance  seemed  to  add  fresh  vigor  to  us, 
we  walked  as  fast  as  the  extreme  smoothness  of  the 
ice  would  permit,  intending  to  reach  the  Slave  Rock 
that  night ;  but  an  unforeseen  and  almost  fatal  acci- 
dent prevented  the  prosecution  of  cur  plan  :  Belanger 
(who  seemed  the  victim  of  misfortune)  again  broke 
through  the  ice,  in  a  deep  part  near  Ihe  head  of  the 
rapid,  but  was  timely  saved,  by  fastening  our  worsted 
belts  together,  and  pulling  him  out.     By  urging  him 
forwards  as  quick  as  his  icy  garments  would  admit  of, 
to  prevent  his  freezing,  we  reached  a  few  pines,  and 


•I 


368 


Thirty  Tears 


kindled  a  £.e  ;  but  it  was  late  before  he  even  felt  warm, 
though  he  waa  so  near  the  flame  as  to  burn  his  hair 
twice  ;  and  to  add  to  our  distress,  three  wolves  crossed 
the  lake  close  to  us. 

The  night  of  the  7th  was  extremely  stormy,  and 
about  ten  the  following  morning,  on  attempting  to  go 
on,  we  found  it  totally  impossible,  being  too  feeble  to 
oppose  the  wind  and  drift,  which  frequently  blew  us 
over,  and  on  attempting  to  cross  a  small  lake  that  lay 
in  our  way,  drove  us  faster  backwards  than  under  all 
advantages  we  could  get  forwards  ;  therefore  we  en-' 
camped  under  the  shelter  of  a  small  clump  of  pines, 
secure  from  the  south-west  storm  that  was  raging 
around  us.  In  the  evening,  from  there  being  no  tripe 
de  roche,  we  were  compelled  to  satisfy,  or  rather  al- 
lay, the  cravings  of  hunger,  by  eating  a  gun  cover  and 
a  pair  of  old  shoes  ;  at  this  time  I  had  hardly  strength 
to  get  on  my  legs. 

The  wind  did  not  in  the  least  abate  during  the  night, 
but  in  the  morning  of  the  9th  it  changed  to  north-east, 
and  became  moderate.  We  took  advantage  of  this 
circumstance,  and  rising  .with  great  difficulty,  set  out, 
though  had  it  not  been  for  the  hope  of  reaching  the 
house,  I  am  certain,  from  the  excessive  faintness 
which  almost  overpowered  me,  that  I  must  have  re- 
mained where  I  was.  We  passed  the  Slave  Rock, 
and  making  frequent  halts,  arrived  within  a  short  dis- 


i^' 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


369 


felt  warm, 
rn  his  hair 
ves  crossed 

ormy,  and 
•ting  to  go 
a  feeble  to 
ly  blew  us 
:e  that  lay 
under  all 
)re  we  en- ' 
of  pines, 
fts   raijinjr 
?  no  tripe 
rather  al- 
cover  and 


strength 


he  night, 
)rth-east, 
5  of  this 
,  set  out, 
ling  the 
aintness 
bave  re- 
B  Keck, 
lort  dis- 


tance of  Fort  Enterprize  ;  but  as  we  perceived  neither 
any  marks  of  Indians,  nor  even  of  animals,  the  men 
began  absolutely  to  despair  :  on  a  nearer  approach, 
however,  the  tracks  of  large  herds  of  deer,  which  had 
only  passed  a  few  hours,  tended  a  little  to  revive  their 
spirits,  and  shortly  after  we  crossed  the  ruinous  thres- 
hold of  the  long-sough t-for  spot ;  but  what  was  our 
surprise,  what  our  sensations,  at  beholding  every  thing 
in  the  most  desolate  and  neglected  state  ;  the  doors 
and  windows  of  that  room  in  which  we  expected  to 
find  provision,  had  been  thrown  down,  and  carelessly 
left  so  ;  and  the  wild  animals  of  the  woods  had  resort- 
ed there,  as  to  a  place  of  bhelter  and  retreat.  Mr. 
Wentzel  had  taken  away  the  trunks  and  papers,  but 
had  left  no  note  to  guide  us  to  the  Indians.  This  was 
to  us  the  most  grievous  disappointment :  without  the 
assistance  of  the  Indians,  bereft  of  every  resource,  we 
felt  ourselves  reduced  to  the  most  miserable  state, 
which  was  rendered  still  worse,  from  the  recollection 
that  our  friends  in  the  rear  were  as  miserable  as  our- 
selves. For  the  moment,  however,  hunger  prevailed, 
and  each  began  to  gnaw  the  scraps  of  putrid  and  fro- 
zen meat  that  were  laying  about,  without  waiting  to 
prepare  them.  A  fire,  however,  was  made,  and  the 
neck  and  bones  of  a  deer,  found  lying  in  the  house, 
were  boiled  and  devoured. 

I  determined  to  remain  a  day  here  to  repose  our- 


370 


Thirty  Tears 


selves,  and  then  to  go  in  search  of  the  Indians,  and  in 
the  event  of  missing  them,  to  proceed  to  the  first  trad- 
ing establishment,  which  was  distant  about  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  miles,  and  from  thence  send  succor  to 
my  companions.  This  indeed  I  should  have  done  im- 
mediately, as  the  most  curtain  manner  of  executin*^ 
my  purpose,  had  there  been  any  probability  of  the 
river  and  lakes  being  frozen  to  the  southward,  or  had 
we  possessed  sufficient  strength  to  have  clambered  over 
the  rocks  and  mountains  which  impeded  the  direct 
way  ;  but  as  we  were  aware  of  our  inability  to  do  so, 
I  listened  to  St.  Germain's  proposal,  which  was,  to 
follow  the  deer  into  the  woods,  (so  long  as  they  did 
not  lead  us  out  of  our  route  to  the  Indians,)  and  if 
possible  to  collect  sufficient  food  to  carry  us  to  Fort 
Providence.  We  now  set  about  making  mittens  and 
snow-shoes,  whilst  Belanger  searched  under  the  snow, 
and  collected  a  mass  of  old  bones,  which  when  burned 
and  used  with  a  little  salt,  we  found  palatable  enough, 
and  made  a  tolerable  meal.  At  night  St.  Germain 
returned,  having  seen  plenty  of  tracks,  but  no  ani- 
mals ;  the  day  was  cloudy,  with  fresh  breezes,  atid  the 
river  was  frozen  at  the  borders. 

On  the  11th  we  prepared  for  our  journey,  having 
first  collected  a  few  old  skins  of  deer,  to  serve  us  as 
food,  and  written  a  note  to  be  left  for  our  commander, 
to  apprize  him  of  our  intentions.     We  pursued  the 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


371 


course  of  the  river  to  the  lower  lake,  when  St.  Germain 
fell  in,  whieh  obliged  us  to  encamp  directly  to  prevent 
his  being  frozen  ;  indeed  we  were  all  glad  of  stopping, 
for  in  our  meagre  and  reduced  state  it  was  impossible 
to  resist  Jhe  weather,  which  at  any  other  time  would 
have  been  thought  fine  ;  my  toes  were  frozen,  and  al- 
though wrapped  in  a  blanket  I  could  not  keep  my 
hands  warm. 

The  12th  was  excessively  cold  with  fresh  breezes. 
Our  meal  at  night  consisted  of  scraps  of  old  deer  skins 
and  swamp  tea,  and  the  men  complained  greatly  of 
their  increasing  debility.  The  following  morning  I 
sent  St.  Germain  to  hunt,  intending  to  go  some  dis- 
tance down  the  lake,  but  the  weather  becoming  ex- 
ceedingly thick  with  snow  storms,  we  were  prevented 
from  moving.  He  returned  without  success,  not  hav- 
ing seen  any  animals.     We  had  nothing  to  eat. 

In  the  morning  of  the  14th  the  part  of  the  lake  ba^ 
fore  us  was  quite  frozen.  There  was  so  much  uncer- 
tainty in  St.  Germain's  answers  as  to  the  chance  of 
any  Indians  being  in  the  direction  we  were  then  going, 
(  although  he  had  previously  said  that  the  leader  had 
told  him  he  should  be  there,)  and  he  gave  me  so  much 
dissatisfaction  in  his  hunting  excursions,  that  I  was  in- 
duced to  send  a  note  to  the  Commander,  whom  I  sup- 
posed to  be  by  this  time  at  Fort  Enterprize,  to  inform 
him  of  our  situation  ;    not  that  I  imagined  for  a  mo- 


372 


Thirty  Years 


ment  he  could  better  it,  but  that  by  all  returning  to 
the  Fort  we  might,  perhaps,  have  better  success  in 
hunting  ;  with  this  view  I  despatched  Belanger,  much 
against  his  inclination,  and  told  him  to  return  as 
quick  as  possible  to  a  place  about  four  lailes  fur- 
ther on,  where  we  intended  to  fish,  and  to  await  his 
arrival.  The  men  were  so  weak  this  day  that  I  could 
get  neither  of  them  to  move  from  the  encampment ; 
and  it  was  only  necessity  that  compelled  them  to  cut 
wood  for  fuel,  in  performing  which  operation  Beau- 
parlant's  face  became  so  dreadfully  swelled  that  he 
could  scarcely  see  ;  I  myself  lost  my  temper  on  the 
most  trivial  circumstances,  and  was  become  very  peev- 
ish ;  the  day  was  fine  but  cold,  with  a  freezing  north- 
'  east  wind.     We  had  nothing  to  eat. 

October  15. — The  night  was  calm  and  clear,  but 
it  was  not  before  two  in  the  afternoon  that  we  set  out ; 
aDd  the  one  was  so  weak,  and  the  other  so  full  of  com- 
plaints, that  we  did  not  get  more  than  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  our  last  encampment,  before  we  were 
obliged  to  put  up  ;  but  in  this  distance  we  were  for- 
tunate enough  to  kill  a  partridge,  the  bones  of  which 
were  eaten,  and  the  remainder  reserved  for  baits  to 
fish  with.  We  were  fortunate,  however,  in  collecting 
sufficient  tripe  de  rohe  to  make  a  meal ;  and  I  now 
anxiously  awaited  Belanger's  return,  to  know  what 
courso  to  take.     I  was  now  so  much  reduced,  that  my 


In  the  Arctic  Begtons. 


373 


shoulders  were  as  if  they  would  full  from  my  body,  my 
legs  seemed  unable  to  support  me,  and  in  the  diHposi- 
tion  which  I  then  found  myself,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  remembrance  of  my  friends  behind,  who  relied  on 
me  for  relief,  as  well  as  the  persons  of  whom  I  had 
charge,  I  certainly  should  have  preferred  remaining 
where  I  was,  to  the  miserable  pain  of  attempting  to 
move. 

October  16. — We  waited  until  two  in  the  afternoon 
for  Belanger ;  but  not  seeing  any  thing  of  him  on  the 
lake,  we  set  out,  purposing  to  encamp  at  the  Narrows, 
the  place  which  was  said  to  be  so  good  for  fishing,  and 
where,  according  to  St.  Germain's  account,  the  In- 
dians never  failed  to  catch  plenty ;  its  distance  at  most 
could  not  be  more  than  two  miles.  We  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far  before  Bcauparlant  began  to  complain  of  in- 
creasing:; weakness.  This  was  so  usual  with  us  that 
no  particular  notice  was  taken  of  it,  for  in  fact  there 
was  little  difference,  all  being  alike  feeble  ;  among 
other  things  he  said  whilst  we  were  resting,  that  he 
should  never  get  beyond  the  next  encampment,  for  his 
strength  had  quite  failed  him.  I  endeavored  to  en- 
courage him  by  explaining  the  mercy  of  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  ever  beholds  with  an  eye  of  pity  those  that 
seek  his  aid.  This  passed  as  common  discourse,  when 
he  enquired  v:here  we  were  to  put  up  ;  St.  Germain 
pointed  to  a  small  clump  of  pines  near  us,  the  only 


874 


Tliirty  Years 


place  indeed  that  offered  for  fuel.  "  Well,"  replied 
the  poor  man,  "  take  your  axe,  Mr.  Back,  and  I  will 
follow  at  my  leisure,  I  shall  join  you  by  the  time  the 
encampment  is  made."  This  is  a  usual  practice  of  the 
country,  and  St.  Germain  and  myself  went  on  towards 
the  spot ;  it  was  five  o'clock  and  not  very  cold,  but 
rather  milder  than  we  had  experienced  it  for  some 
time,  when,  on  leaving  the  ice,  we  saw  a  number  of 
crows  perched  upon  the  top  of  some  high  pines  near 
us.  St.  Germain  immediately  said  that  there  must 
be  some  dead  animals  thereabouts,  and  proceeded  to 
search,  when  we  saw  several  heads  of  deer,  half  buried 
in  the  snow  and  ice,  without  eyes  or  tongues ;  the 
previous  severity  of  the  weather  only  having  obliged 
the  wolves  and  other  animals  to  abandon  them.  An 
expression  of  "  Oh  merciful  God  !  we  are  saved," 
broke  from  us  both  ;  and  with  feelings  more  easily  im- 
agined than  described,  we  shook  hands,  not  knowing 
what  to  say  for  joy.  It  was  twilight,  and  a  fog  was 
rapidly  darkening  the  surface  of  the  lake,  when  St. 
Germain  commenced  making  the  encampment ;  the 
task  was  too  laborious  for  me  to  render  him  any  assist- 
ance, and  had  we  not  thus  providentially  found  pro- 
vision, I  feel  convinced  that  the  next  twenty-four 
hours  would  have  terminated  my  existence.  But  this 
good  fortune,  in  some  measure,  renovated  me  for  the 
moment,  and  putting  out  my  whole  strength,  I  contriv- 


In  the  Arctic  Itegiona. 


375 


cd  to  collect  a  few  heads,  and  with  incredible  difficul- 
ty carried  them  singly  about  thirty  paces  to  the  fire. 

Darkness  stole  on  us  apace,  and  I  became  extreme- 
ly anxious  about  Beauparlant  ;  several  guns  were 
fired,  to  each  of  which  he  answered.  We  then  called 
out,  and  again  heard  his  responses,  though  faintly, 
when  I  told  St.  Germain  to  go  and  look  for  him,  as  I 
had  not  strength  myself,  being  quite  exhausted.  He 
said,  that  he  had  already  placed  a  pine  branch  on  the 
ice,  and  he  could  then  hardly  find  his  way  back,  but 
if  he  went  now  he  should  certainly  be  lost.  In  this 
situation  I  could  only  hope  that  as  Beauparlant  had 
my  blanket,  and  every  thing  requisite  to  light  a  fire, 
he  might  have  encamped  at  a  little  distance  from  us. 

October  17. — The  night  was  cold  and  clear,  but  we 
could  not  sleep  at  all,  from  the  pains  of  having  eaten. 
We  suffered  the  most  excruciating  torments,  though 
I  in  particular  did  not  eat  a  quarter  of  what  would 
have  satisfied  me  ;  it  might  have  bee:^  from  using  a 
quantity  of  raw  or  frozen  sinews  of  the  legs  of  deer, 
which  neither  of  us  could  avoid  doing,  so  great  was 
our  hunger.  In  the  morning,  being  much  agitated 
for  the  safety  of  Beauparlant,  I  desired  St.  Germain 
to  go  iu  search  of  him,  and  to  return  with  him  as 
quick  as  possible,  when  I  would  have  something  pre- 
pared for  them  to  eat. 

It  was,  however,  late  when  he  arrived,  with  a  small 


'-i.xMiit' 


* 


.0^.  "^'^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


11.25 


|so   "^^     MMI 

li£    12.0 


tii 


UU| 


U    11.6 


7 


'^' 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Cbiporation 


23  WiST  MAIN  STRHT 

WHSTM.N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)  S72-4503 


^<^ 


376 


Thirty  Years 


* 


bundle  which  Beauparlant  was  accustomed  to  carry, 
and  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  told  me  that  he  fcund  our 
poor  companion  dead.  Dead  !  I  could  not  believe 
him.  "  It  is  so,  Sir,"  said  St.  Germain,  "  after  hal- 
looing and  calling  his  name  to  no  purpose,  I  went  to- 
wards our  last  encampment,  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile,  and  found  him  stretched  upon  his  back  on  a  sand 
bank  frozen  to  death,  his  limbs  all  extended  and 
swelled  enormously,  and  as  hard  as  the  ice  that  was 
near  him ;  his  bundle  was  behind  him,  as  if  it  had 
rolled  awav  when  he  fell,  and  the  blanket  which  he 
wore  around  his  neck  and  shoulders  thrown  on  one 
side.  Seeing  that  there  was  no  longer  life  in  him,  I 
threw  your  covering  over  him,  and  placed  his  snow- 
shoes  on  the  top  of  it." 

I  had  not  even  thought  of  so  serious  an  occurrence 
in  our  little  party,  and  for  a  short  time  was  obliged  to 
give  vent  to  my  grief.  Left  with  one  person  and  both 
of  us  weak,  no  appearance  of  Belanger,  a  likelihood 
that  great  calamity  had  taken  place  amongst  our 
other  companions,  and  upwards  of  seventeen  days' 
march  from  the  nearest  Establishment,  and  myself 
unable  to  carry  a  burden,  all  these  things  pressed 
heavy  on  me  ;  and  how  to  get  to  the  Indians  or  to 
the  Fort  I  did  not  know  ;  but  that  I  might  not  depress 
St.  Germain's  spirits,  I  suppressed  the  feelings  which 
these  thoughts  gave  rise  to,  and  made  some  arrange- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


377 


ments  for  the  journey  tg  Fort  Providence.  We  con- 
tinued very  weak. 

October  18. — While  we  were  this  day  occupied  in 
scraping  together  the  remains  of  some  deers*  meat,  we 
observed  Belanger  coming  round  a  point  apparently 
scarcely  moving.  I  went  to  meet  him,  and  made  im- 
mediate inquiries  about  my  friends.  Five,  with  the 
Captain,  he  said,  were  at  thj  house,  the  rest  were  left 
near  the  river,  unable  to  proceed ;  but  he  was  too 
weak  to  relate  the  whole.  He  was  conducted  to  the 
encampment,  and  paid  every  attention  to,  and  by  de- 
grees we  heard  the  remainder  of  his  tragic  tale,  at 
which  the  interpreter  could  not  avoid  crying.  He 
then  gave  me  a  letter  from  my  friend  the  Commander, 
which  indeed  was  truly  afflicting.  The  simple  story 
of  Belanger  I  could  hear,  but  when  I  read  it  in  another 
language,  mingled  with  the  pious  resignation  of  a  good 
man,  I  could  not  sustain  it  any  longer.  The  poor 
man  was  much  affected  at  the  death  of  our  lamented 
companion,  but  his  appetite  prevailed  over  every  other 
feeling  ;  and  had  I  permitted  it,  he  would  have  done 
himself  an  injury ;  for  after  two  hours'  eating,  prin- 
cipally skin  and  sinews,  he  complained  of  hunger. 
The  day  was  cloudy,  with  snow  and  fresh  breezes 
from  the  north-east  by  east. 

The  last  evening,  as  well  as  this  morning,  the  19  th, 
I  mentioned  my  wishes  to  the  men,  that  we  should 


378 


Thirty  Years 


■% 


proceed  towards  Reindeer  Lal^^  but  this  proposal  met 
with  a  direct  refusal.  Belanger  stated  his  inability  to 
move,  and  St.  Germain  used  similar  language  ;  add- 
ing, for  the  first  time,  that  he  did  not  know  the  route, 
and  that  it  was  of  no  use  to  go  in  the  direction  I  men- 
tioned, which  was  the  one  agreed  upon  between  the 
Commander  and  myself.  I  then  insisted  that  we 
should  go  by  the  known  route,  and  join  the  Com- 
mander, but  they  would  not  hear  of  it ;  they  would 
remain  where  they  were  until  they  had  regained  their 
strength  ;  they  said  I  wanted  to  expose  them  again  to 
death  {/aire  perir).  In  vain  did  I  use  every  argu- 
ment to  the  contrary,  for  they  were  equally  heedless  to 
all.  Thus  situated,  I  was  compelled  to  remain,  and 
from  this  time  to  the  25th,  we  employed  ourselves  in 
looking  about  for  the  remnants  of  the  deer  and  pieces 
of  skin,  which  even  the  wolves  had  left ;  and  by 
pounding  the  bones,  we  were  enabled  to  make  a  sort  of 
soup,  which  strengthened  us  greatly,  though  each  stiU 
complained  of  weakness.  It  was  not  without  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  I  could  restrain  the  men  from 
eating  every  scrap  they  found,  though  they  were  well 
aware  of  the  necessity  there  was  of  being  economical 
in  our  present  situation,  and  to  save  whatever  they 
could  for  our  journey ;  yet  they  could  not  resist  the 
temptation,  and  directly  my  back  was  turned  they 
seldom  failed    to  snatch    at    the    nearest    piece    to 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


379 


them,  whether  cooked  or  raw  it  made  no  difference. 
We  had  set  fishing-lines,  but  without  any  success  ; 
and  we  often  saw  large  herds  of  deer  crossing  the  lake 
at  full  speed,  and  wolves  pursuing  them. 

The  night  of  the  25th  was  cold,  with  hard  frost. 
Early  the  next  morning  I  sent  the  men  to  cover  the 
body  of  our  departed  companion,  Beauparlant,  with  the 
trunks  and  branches  of  trees,  which  they  did ;  and 
shortly  after  their  return  I  opened  his  bundle,  and 
found  it  contained  two  papers  of  vermilion,  several 
strings  of  beads,  some  fire-steels,  flints,  awls,  fish- 
hooks, rings,  linen,  and  the  glass  of  an  artificial  hori- 
zon. My  two  men  began  to  recover  a  little  as  well  as 
myself,  though  I  was  by  far  the  weakest  of  the  three  ; 
the  soles  of  my  feet  were  cracked  all  over,  and  the 
other  parts  were  as  hard  as  a  horn,  from  constant 
walking.  I  again  urged  the  necessity  of  advancing 
to  join  the  Commander's  party,  but  they  said  they 
were  not  yet  sufficiently  strong. 

On  the  27th  we  discovered  the  remains  of  a  deer, 
on  which  we  feasted.  The  night  was  unusually  cold, 
and  ice  formed  in  a  pint-pot  within  two  feet  of  a  fire. 
The  corruscations  of  the  Aurora  were  beautifully  bril- 
liant ;  they  served  to  shew  us  eight  wolves,  which  we 
had  some  trouble  to  frighten  away  from  our  collection 
of  deers'  bones  ;  and,  with  their  howling,  and  the  con- 
stant cracking  of  the  ice,  we  did  not  get  much  rest. 


« 


380 


Thirty  Tears 


Having  collected  with  great  care,  and  by  self-denial, 
two  small  packets  of  dried  meat  or  sinews,  sufficient 
(for  men  who  knew  what  it  was  to  fast)  to  last  for 
eight  days,  at  the  rate  of  one  indifferent  meal  per  day, 
we  prepared  to  set  out  on  the  30th.  I  calculated  that 
we  should  be  about  fourteen  days  in  reaching  Fort 
Providence  ;  and,  allowing  that  we  neither  killed  deer 
nor  found  Indians,  we  could  but  be  unprovided  with 
food  six  days,  and  this  we  heeded  not  whilst  the  pros- 
pect of  obtaining  full  relief  was  before  us.  According- 
ly we  set  out  against  a  keen  north-east  wind,  in  order 
to  gain  the  known  route  to  Fort  Providence.  We 
saw  a  number  of  wolves  and  some  crows  on  the  middle 
of  the  lake,  and  supposing  such  an  assembly  was  not 
met  idly,  we  made  for  them,  and  came  in  for  a  share 
of  a  deer,  which  they  had  killed  a  short  time  before, 
and  thus  added  a  couple  of  meals  to  our  stock.  By 
four  P.M.  we  gained  the  head  of  the  lake,  or  the  di- 
rect road  to  Fort  Providence,  and  some  dry  wood  being 
at  hand,  we  encamped  ;  by  accident  it  was  the  same 
place  where  the  Commander's  party  had  slept  on  the 
19th,  the  day  on  which  I  suppose  they  had  left  Fort 
Enterprize  ;  but  the  encampment  was  so  small,  that 
we  feared  great  mortality  had  taken  place  among  them  ; 
and  I  am  sorry  to  say  the  stubborn  resolution  of  my 
men,  not  to  go  to  the  house,  prevented  me  from  deter- 
mining this  most  anxious  point,  so  that  I  now  almost 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


381 


dreaded  passing  their  encampments,  lest  I  should  see 
Bom-e  of  our  unfortunate  friends  dead  at  each  spot. 
Our  fire  was  hardly  kindled,  when  a  fine  herd  of  deer 
passed  close  to  us.  St.  Germain  pursued  them  a  short 
distance,  but  with  his  usual  want  of  success,  so  that 
we  made  a  meal  off  the  muscles  and  sinews  we  had 
dried,  though  they  were  so  tough  that  we  could  scarce- 
ly cut  them.  My  hands  were  benumbed  throughout 
the  march,  and  we  were  all  stiff  and  fatigued.  The 
marching  of  two  days  weakened  us  all  very  much,  and 
the  more  so  on  account  of  our  exertion  to  follow  the 
tracks  of  our  Commander's  party  ;  but  we  lost  them, 
and  concluded  that  they  were  not  before  us.  Though 
the  weather  was  not  cold,  I  was  frozen  in  the  face, 
and  was  so  reduced  and  affected  by  these  constant  ca- 
lamities, as  well  in  mind  as  in  body,  that  I  found  much 
difficulty  in  proceeding  even  with  the  advantages  I  had 
enjoyed. 

November  3. — We  set  out  before  day,  though,  in 
fact,  we  were  all  better  adapted  to  remain,  from  the 
excessive  pain  which  we  suffered  in  our  joints,  and  pro- 
ceeded till  one  P.M.,  without  halting,  when  Belanger, 
who  was  before,  stopped,  and  cried  out,  "Footsteps 
of  Indians."  It  is  needless  to  mention  the  joy  that 
brijirhtened  the  countenances  of  each  at  this  unlooked- 
for  sight ;  we  knew  relief  must  be  at  hand,  and  con- 
sidered our  sufferings  at  an  end.    St.  Germain  inspect- 


* 


■^' 


882 


Thirty  Years 


ed  tho  tracks,  and  said  that  three  persons  had  passed 
the  day  before  ;  and  that  he  knew  the  remainder  must 
be  advancing;  to  the  southward,  as  it  was  customary 
with  Indians,  when  they  sent  to  tho  trading  establish- 
ment on  the  first  ice.  On  this  information  we  en- 
camped, and,  being  too  weak  to  walk  myself,  I  sent 
St.  Germain  to  follow  the  tracks,  with  instructions  to 
the  Chief  of  the  Indians  to  provide  immediate  assist- 
ance for  such  of  our  friends  who  might  be  at  Fort  En- 
terprize,  as  well  as  for  ourselves,  and  to  lose  no  time 
in  returning  to  me.  I  was  now  so  exhausted,  that 
had  we  not  seen  the  tracks  this  day,  I  had  determined 
on  remainin*^  at  the  next  encampment,  until  the  men 
could  have  sent  aid  from  Fort  Providence.  We  had 
finished  our  small  portion  of  sinews,  and  were  prepar- 
ing for  rest,  when  an  Indian  boy  made  his  appearance 
with  meat.  St.  Germain  had  arrived  before  sunset  at 
the  tents  of  Akaitcho,  whom  he  found  at  the  si)ot 
where  he  had  wintered  last  year  ;  but  imagine  my  sur- 
prise, when  he  gave  me  a  note  from  the  Commander, 
and  said,  that  Benoit  and  Augustus,  two  of  the  men, 
had  just  joined  them.  The  note  was  so  confused,  by 
the  pencil  marks  being  partly  ijibbed  out,  that  I  could 
not  decipher  it  clearly  ;  but  it  informed  me,  that  he 
had  attempted  to  come  with  the  two  men,  but  finding 
his  strength  inadequate  to  the  task,  he  relinquished 
nis  design,  and  returned  to  Fort  Enterprize,  to  await 


M 


In  the  Antic  lie  (/tons. 


383 


relief  with  the  others.  There  was  another  note  for  the 
gentleman  in  charge  of  Fort  Providence,  desiring  him 
to  send  meat,  blankets,  shoes,  and  tobacco.  Akaitcho 
wiKhed  me  to  join  him  on  the  ensuing  day,  at  a  place 
which  the  boy  knew,  where  they  were  going  to  fish  ; 
and  I  was  the  more  anxious  to  do  so,  on  account  of 
my  two  companions  :  but  particularly  to  hear  a  full 
relation  of  what  had  happened,  and  of  the  Command- 
er's true  situation,  which  I  suspected  to  be  much 
worse  than  he  had  described. 

In  the  afternoon  I  joined  the  Indians,  and  repeated 
to  Akaitcho  what  St.  Germain  had  told  him  ;  he 
seemed  much  affected,  and  said,  he  would  have  sent 
relief  dif^ctly,  though  I  had  not  been  there  ;  indeed, 
his  conduct  was  generous  and  humane.  The  next 
morning,  at  an  early  hour,  three  Indians,  with  loaded 
sledges  of  meat,  skins,  shoes,  and  a  blanket,  set  out 
for  Fort  Enterprize ;  one  of  them  was  to  return 
directly  with  an  answer  from  Captain  Franklin,  to 
whom  I  wrote  ;  but  in  the  event  of  his  death,  he  was 
to  bring  away  all  the  papers  he  could  find  ;  and  he 
promised  to  travel  with  such  haste,  as  to  be  able  to 
return  to  us  on  the  fourth  day.  I  was  now  somewhat 
more  easy,  having  done  all  in  my  power  to  succor  my 
unfortunate  companions  ;  but  was  very  anxious  for 
the  return  of  the  messenger.  The  Indians  brought 
mo  meat  in  small  quantities,  though  sufficient  for  our 


■  i 


384 


Thirty  Years 


daily  consumption  ;  and,  as  we  had  a  little  ammuni- 
tion, many  were  paid  on  the  spot  for  what  they  gave. 
On  the  9th  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  In- 
dian arrive  from  Fort  Enterprize.  At  first  he  said 
they  were  all  dead,  but  shortly  after  he  gave  me  a 
note,  which  was  from  the  Commander,  and  then  I 
learned  all  the  fatal  particulars  which  had  befallen 
them.  I  now  proposed  that  the  Chief  should  imme- 
diately send  three  sledges,  loaded  with  meat,  to  Fort 
Enterprize,  to  make  a  cache  of  provision  at  our  present 
encampment,  and  also,  that  he  should  here  await  the 
arrival  of  the  Commander.  By  noon,  two  large  trains, 
laden  with  meat,  were  sent  off  for  Fort  Enterprize. 
The  next  day  we  proceeded  on  our  journey,  and  ar- 
rived at  Fort  Providence  on  the  21st  of  November. 

Conclusion  of  Mr.  Back's  Narrative, 


I  HAVE  little  now  to  add  to  the  melancholy  detail 
into  which  I  felt  it  proper  to  enter  ;  but  I  cannot 
omit  to  state,  that  the  unremitting  care  and  attentions 
of  our  kind  friends,  Mr.  M'Vicar  and  Mr.  M'Auley, 
together  with  the  improvement  of  our  diet,  materially 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


385 

■IF'-'  ■ 


tie  ammuni- 
it  they  gave, 
jeing  the  In- 
first  he  said 
e  gave  me  a 
,  and  then  I 
had  befallen 
hould  imme- 
Qeat,  to  Fort 
t  our  present 
ere  await  the 
>  large  trains, 
t  Enterprize. 
Qey,  and  ar- 
November. 

itive. 


ncholy  detail 
but  I  cannot 
nd  attentions 
^Ir.  M'Auley, 
jt,  materially 


contributed  to  the  restoration  of  our  health  ;  so  that, 
by  the  end  of  February,  the  swellings  of  our  limbs, 
which  had  returned  upon  us,  had  entirely  subsided, 
and  we  were  able  to  walk  to  any  part  of  the  island. 
Our  appetites  gradually  moderated,  and  we  nearly  re- 
gained our  ordinary  state  of  body  before  the  spring. 
Hepburn  alone  suffered  from  a  severe  attack  of  rheu- 
matism, which  confined  him  to  his  bed  for  some  weeks. 
The  usual  symptoms  of  spring  having  appeared,  on 
the  25th  of  May  we  prepared  to  embark  for  Fort  ^ 
Ohipewyan.  Fortunately,  on  the  following  morning, 
a  canoe  arrived  from  that  place  with  the  whole  of  the 
stores  which  we  required  for  the  payment  of  Akaitcho 
and  the  hunters.  It  was  extremely  gratifying  to  us 
to  be  thus  enabled,  previous  to  our  departure,  to  make 
arrangements  respecting  the  payment  of  our  late  In- 
dian companions  ;  and  the  more  so,  as  we  had  recently 
discovered  that  Akaitcho,  and  the  whole  of  the  tribe, 
in  consequence  of  the  death  of  the. leader's  mother, 
and  the  wife  of  our  old  guide  Keskarrah,  had  broken 
and  destroyed  every  useful  article  belonging  to  them, 
and  that  they  were  in  the  greatest  distress.  It  was  an 
additional  pleasure  to  find  our  stock  of  ammunition 
was  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  them  what  was  due, 
and  that  we  could  make  a  considerable  present  of  this 
most  essential  article  to  every  individual  that  had  been 

attached  to  the  Expedition. 

17 


386 


Tli'irty  Years 


We  quitted  Moose-deer  Island  at  five  P.M.,  on  the 
26th,  accompanied  by  Mr.  M'Vicar  and  Mr.  M'Auley, 
and  nearly  all  the  voyagers  at  the  establishment,  hav- 
ing resided  there  about  five  months,  not  a  day  of  which 
had  passed  without  our  having  cause  of  gratitude,  for 
the  kind  and  unvaried  attentions  of  Mr.  M'Vicar  and 
Mr.  M'Anley.  These  gentlemen..jiccompanied  us  as 
far  as  Fort  Chipewyan,  where  we  arrived  on  the  2d  of 
June  ;  here  we  met  Mr.  Wentzel,  aiMi  the  four  men, 
who  had  been  seho  with  him  from  th  *  mouth  of  the 
Copper-Mine  River ;  and  I  think  if  due  to  that  gen- 
tleman, to  giverTs  own  explanation  of  tl^  unfortunate 
circumstances  which  prevented  him  from  fulfilling  ray 
last  instructions,  respecting  t  '.he  provisions  to  have 


been  left  for  us  .ii  Fort  Enterprize.* 


\ 


♦  "  Aflo.  you  sent  me  back  from  the  moath  of  the  Copper-Mine 
BIfer,  iVjoi  T  uad  overtaken  the  Leader,  Guides,  aiul  Hunters  on  tho 
flllli  day  leaving  the  sea-coast,  as  well  as  on  our  journey  up  the  River, 
they  always  expj«ssed  tho  same  desire  of  fulfilling  their  promises, 
tUthough  somewhuu  dissatisfied  at  being  exposed  to  privation  while  on 
our  return,  from  a  scarcity  of  animals ;  for  as  I  have  already  stated  in 
my  first  communication  from  Moose-Deer  Island,  we  had  been  eleven 
days  with  no  other  food  but  iripe  de  roche.  In  the  course  of  this  time 
an  Indian,  with  his  wife  anid  child,  who  were  traveling  in  company 
with  us,  were  left  in  the  rear,  and  are  since  supposed  to  have  perished 
through  want,  as  no  intelligence  had  been  received  of  them  at  Fort 
Providence  in  December  last.  On  the  7th  day  after  I  had  joined  the 
Xi^der,  &c,  &c.,  and  journeying  on  together,  all  the  Indians  except- 
ing Petit,  Pied  and  Bald-Head,  loft  me  to  seek  thoir  families,  and 


ii 


In   the  Arctic  Regions. 


387 


In  a  subseciuent  conversation  ho  stated  to  me,  that 
the  two  Indians,  who  were  actually  with  him  at  Fort 
Euterprize,  whilst  ho  remained  there  altering  his 
canoe,  were  prevented  from  hunting,  one  by  an  acci- 
dental lameness,  the  other  by  the  fear  of  meeting 
alone  some  of  the  Dog-Kib  Indians. 

crossed  Point  Lake  atu  the  Crow's  Nest,  where  Humpy  had  prom- 
ised to  meet  his  brother  Ekehcho*  with  the  families,  but  did  not  fulfill, 
nor  did  any  of  my  party  of  Indians  know  where  to  find  them  :  for  we 
had  frequently  mad''  "ei  to  upprizo  them  of  our  approach,  yet  none 
appeared  in  retur  a-*  i^^vprs.  Thii  disappointment,  as  might  bo  ex- 
pected, served  f  •  invv  f  th-?  ilJ-humc  of  the  Leader  and  party,  the 
brooding  of  which  Cayreea'dy  <>  (i"'\  n  custciii  )  was  liberally  dis- 
charged on  mo  in  bi;  i>\  i  u^h  I'or  living  led  them  from  their  fam- 
ilies, and  exn'Jdf  '  len^  Ic  .'iK'ers  and  hardshipi,  which  but 
for  my  iilfl  U!t ,  .v  ,  -a; ',  U  vy  might  have  spared  themselves. 
Neverthele^f  i'  •  vH  -^  >r  nueu  to  profess  the  siacerest  desire  of 
meeting  your  wl  jes  m-.  6y  j,  caci.  .:  >*'  ^  -  '  '  is,  and  remaining 
until  a  late  season  on  . >*•  road  that,  leads*  uom  Foil  Entpr^^rlie  to 
Fort  Providence,  thro  .;1i  which  the  Xxpomhon-men  ha  traveled  so 
often  the  year  before — remarking,  how  over,  at  the  srinio  time,  that 
they  had  not  the  least  hopes  of  ever  seeing  one  p.^rson  return  from 
the  Expedition.  These  alarming  fears  I  never  could  persuade  them 
to  dismiss  from  their  miuda ;  they  always  sneered  at  what  they  called 
'  my  credulity,' — *  If,'  said  the  Gros  Pied,f  '  the  Great  Chief  (meaning 
Captain  Franklin,)  or  any  of  his  party,  should  pass  at  my  tents,  he  or 
they  shall  be  welcome  to  all  my  provisions,  or  any  thing  else  that  I 
may  have.'  And  I  am  sincerely  happy  to  imderstand,  by  your  com- 
munication, that  in  this  he  had  kept  his  word — in  sending  you  with 


'it 


♦  Akaitcho  the  leader. 


•fAlso  Akaitcho. 


388 


Uliiriy  Tears 


We  were  lure  furnished  with  a  canoe'by  Mr  Smith, 
and  ft  bowman,  to  act  as  our  guide  ;  and  having  left 
Fort  Chipewyan  on  the  5th,  we  arrived,  on  the  4th  of 
July,  at  Norway  House.  Finding  at  this  place,  that\ 
canoes  were  about  to  go  down  to  Montreal,  I  gave  all 
our  Canadian  voyagers  their  discharges,  and  sent  them 
by  those  vessels,  furnishing  them  with  orders  on  the 
Agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  for  the  amount 
of  their  wages.     Wo  carried  Augustus  down  to  York 

Bucb  promptitude  and  liberality  the  assistance  your  truly  droadAil 
situation  required.  But  the  party  of  Indians,  on  whom  I  had  placed 
the  utmost  confldenCO  and  dependence,  was  Humpy  and  tlie  White 
CaiK>tQuide,  witli  their  sons  and  soveral  of  the  discharged  Hunters  fh)m 
the  £xi)edition.  This  i>arty  was  well-disposed,  and  readily  promised 
to  collect  provisions  for  the  possible  return  of  tlie  Expedition,  provid- 
ed  they  could  get  a  supply  of  ammunition  ftxtm  Fort  Providence ;  for 
when  I  came  up  with  them,  they  were  actually  starving,  and  converting 
old  axes  into  ball,  having  no  other  substitute — this  was  unlucky.  Yet 
they  wore  well  inclined,  and  I  expected  to  find  means  at  Fort  Provi- 
dence to  send  tliem  a  supply,  in  which  I  was,  however,  disappointed,  for 
I  found  tliat  oslablishment  quite  destitute  of  necessaries  ;  and  then, 
tthortly  after  I  had  left  them,  they  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  three 
of  their  hunters,  who  were  drowned  in  Marten  Lake ;  this  accident 
was,  of  all  otliers,  the  most  fiital  that  could  have  happened — a  truth 
which  no  one,  who  has  the  least  knowledge  of  the  Indian  character, 
will  deny ;  and  as  they  were  nearly  connected  by  relationship  to  the 
Leader,  Humpy,  and  White  Cnpot  Guide,  the  three  leading  men  of  this 
IMirt  of  tho  Copper  Indian  Tribe,  it  had  the  effect  of  unlunging  (if  I 
may  use  the  expression,)  tlie  minds  of  all  these  families,  and  finally 
destroying  all  the  fond  hopes  I  had  so  .'anguinely  conceived  of  their 


In  tht  Arctic  Regions, 


389 


Mr  Smith, 
having  left 
the  4th  of 
place,  that 
,  I  gave  all 
sent  them 
ers  on  the 
he  amount 
m  to  York 

Tuly  dreadAiI 
i  I  had  placed 
nd  the  White 
.  Hunters  fVom 
Jily  promised 
iition,  pix)vid- 
ovideiice;  for 
iid  converting 
nlucky.    Yet  . 
i  Fort  Provi- 
appointed,  for 
s;  and  then, 
losing  throe 
this  accident 
lied— a  truth 
tn  character, 
»nship  to  the 
a:  men  cf  this 
hinging  (if  I 
1,  and  finally 
ived  of  their 


Factory,  where  we  arrived  on  the  14th  of  July,  and 
were  received  with  every  mark  of  attention  and  kind- 
ness by  Mr.  Simpson,  the  Governor,  Mr.  M'Tavish, 
and,  indeed,  by  all  the  officers  of  the  United  Com- 

)anies.  And  thus  terminated  our  long,  fatiguing, 
and  disastrous  travels  in  North  America,  having  jour- 
neyed by  water  and  by  land  (including  our  navigation 

*f  the  Polar  Sea,)  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty 
aailes.  v 

assisting  the  expedition,  should  it  come  back  by  the  Annadesse  River, 
of  which  Uiey  were  not  certain. 

•'  As  to  my  not  leaving  a  letter  at  Fort  Enterprize,  it  was  because 
by  some  mischance,  you  had  forgot  to  give  me  paper  when  we 
parted.*  * 

"  I  however  wrote  this  news  on  a  plank,  in  pencil,  and  plaqed  it  in 
the  top  of  your  former  bedstead,  where  I  left  it.  Since  it  has  not 
been  found  there,  some  Indians  must  have  gone  to  the  house  after  my 
departure,  and  destroyed  it.  These  details,  Sir,  I  have  been  induced 
to  enter  into  (rather  unexpectedly,)  in  justification  of  myself,  and  hope 
it  will  bo  satisfactory." 

♦  1  certainly  offend  Mr.  Wmtzel  some  paper  when  he  quitted  us,  but  h« 
dedined  it,  having  then  a  note  book  ;  and  Mr,  Back  gave  him  a  pencU, 


t 


390 


Tldrty  Years 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


Franklin's  Second  Great  Expedition  was  made 
in  1825,  and  over  much  of  the  same  ground  as  that 
traversed  in  his  first.  His  preparations  were  more 
complete  than  on  his  first  Expedition.  His  old  friends 
Richardson  and  Back  accompanied  him,  the  whole 
party  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  an  American  packet, 
and  passing  through  the  State  of  New  York.  At 
New  York,  Albany,  and  other  places  on  their  route 
receiving  the  enthusiastic  attention  of  the  people — 
to  Canada  and  thence  to  Methoye  River,  north  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  where  they — the  officers — joined  the 
boats  of  the  Expedition. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  the  party  entered  the  Methoye 
River,  and  early  in  July  crossed  the  lake  of  the  same 
name.  On  the  12 th,  Capt.  Franklin  and  Dr.  Richard- 
son set  out  in  a  canoe  for  Fort  Chipewyan,  to  mako 
preparations  for  the  entire  party.  On  the  I5th  they 
arrived  at  Athabasca  Lake,  and  were  by  night  at  the 
Fort.     By  the  end  of  the  month  Fort  Resolution  was 


In  the  Arctic  Regions'. 


.tm  • 


391 


reached,  and  all  the  portages  on  the  road  to  Bear  Lake 
crossed.  The  first  week  in  August  was  spent  on  the 
Mackenzie  River  in  getting  to  Fort  Simpson.  On  the 
8th  of  August  a  voyage  to  the  sea  was  agreed  upon 
for  Capt.  Franklin,  while  Dr.  Richardson  should  coast 
above  the  northern  shore  of  Bear  Lake  to  the  Copper- 
Mine  River,  while  Lieutenant  Back  was  to  prepare 
winter  quarters  for  the  entire  party.  Oapt.  Franklin 
set  off  at  noon,  arriving  in  two  days  at  Fort  Good 
Hope,  the  lowest  station  of  the  Hudson  Company. 
By  the  middle  of  August  they  reached  latitude  69^*, 
14'  N.,— longitude  135^,  57'  W.,— the  north-eastern 
entrance  to  the  main  channel  of  Mackenzie  River,  and 
1045  miles  from  Slave  Lake.  Salt  water  was 
reached,  and  the  party  indulged  in  a  little  enthusiasm. 
The  next  day  the  boats  were  turned  towards  the 
Mackenzie  on  their  way  back  to  winter  quarters. 
September  1st,  the  river  Mackenzie  was  left  for  a 
stream  which  flows  from  Bear  Lake,  and  on  the  5th 
reached  the  winter  quarters. 

The  winter  of  1825-6  was  passed  by  the  company 
in  comparative  comfort.  Buildings  were  erected  and 
a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions  stored  in  them,  to- 
gether with  the  expected  supplies  from  fishing  and 
hunting,  to  carry  the  party  cozily  through  another 
year. 

Amusements  were  also  provided  for  the  men,  while 


392 


Tliirty  Tears 


the  officers  made  good  use  of  a  stock  of  books  and 
quarterlies  which  they  had  brought  with  thera. 

The  winter,  though  severe,  passed  rapidly  away, 
and  spring  opened.  We  quote  from  Franklin's 
Journal. 

w^neBday  Qu  tho  24th  of  May,  1826,  the  mosquitoes 
appeared,  feeble  at  first,  but,  after  a  few  days,  they 
became  vigorous  and  tormenting.  The  first  flower,  a 
tussilago,  was  gathered  on  the  27th.  Before  the  close 
of  the  month,  several  others  were  in  bloom,  of  which 
the  most  abundant  was  the  white  anemone.  The 
leaf-buds  had  not  yet  burst,  though  just  ready  to 
open. 

The  carpenters  had  now  finished  the  new  boat, 
which  received  the  name  of  the  Reliance.  It  was 
constructed  of  fir,  with  birch  timbers,  after  the  model 
of  our  largest  boat,  the  Lion,  but  with  a  more  full 
bow,  and  a  finer  run  abaft.  Its  length  was  twenty- 
six  feet,  and  breadth  five  feet  eight  inches.  It  was 
fastened  in  the  same  manner  as  the  other  boats,  but 
with  iron  instead  of  copper,  and  to  procure  sufficient 
nails  we  were  obliged  to  cut  up  all  the  spare  axes, 
trenches,  and  ice-chisels.  Being  without  tar,  we 
substituted  strips  of  water-proof  canvas,  soaked  in 
some  caoutchouc  varnish,  which  we  bad  brought  out, 
to  lay  between  the  seams  of  the  planks  ;  and  for 
paint,  we  made  use  of  resin,  procured  from  the  pine- 


••        .-m. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


393 


treefl,  boiled  and  mixed  with  grease.  The  other  boats 
were  afterwards  put  in  complete  repair.  The  Lion 
required  the  most,  in  consequence  of  the  accident  in 
Bear  Lake  River.  The  defects  in  the  other  two  prin- 
cipally arose  from  their  having  been  repaired  at  Cum- 
berland House  with  the  elm  that  grows  in  its  vicinity, 
and  is  very  spongy.  We  now  substituted  white  spruce 
fir,  which,  when  grown  in  these  high  latitudes,  is  an 
excellent  wood  for  boat-building.  We  were  surprised 
to  find,  that,  notwithstanding  the  many  heavy  blows 
these  boats  had  received  in  their  passage  to  this  place, 
there  was  not  a  timber  that  required  to  be  changed. 
May.  In  our  bustle,  we  would  gladly  have  dispensed 
with  the  presence  of  the  Dog-Ribs  (Indians)  who  now 
visited  us  in  great  numbers,  without  bringing  any 
supplies.  They  continued  hanging  about  the  fort, 
and  their  daily  drumming  and  singing  over  the  sick, 
the  squalling  of  the  children,  and  bawling  of  the 
men  and  women,  proved  no  small  annoyance.  We 
were  pleased,  however,  at  perceiving  that  the  ammu- 
nition we  had  given  to  them  in  return  for  meat,  had 
enabled  them  to  provide  themselves  with  leathern 
tents.  Their  only  shelter  from  wind,  snow,  or  rain, 
before  this  season,  had  been  a  rude  barricade  of  pine 
branches.  Fortunately,  for  our  comfort,  they  were 
obliged  to  remove  before  the  expiration  of  the  month 
to  a  distant  fishery  to  procure  provision. 


394 


Thirty  Years 


ThSrV  "^h®  preparations  for  the  voyage  ^long  the 
coast  being  now  in  a  state  of  forwardness,  my  atten- 
tion was  directed  to  the  providing  for  the  return  of 
Dr.  Richardson's  party  to  this  establishment  in  the 
following  autumn,  and  to  the  securing  means  of  sup- 
port for  all  the  members  of  the  Expedition  at  this 
place,  in  the  event  of  the  western  party  being  like- 
wise compelled  to  return  to  it.  Respecting  the  first 
point,  it  was  arranged  that  Beaulieu  the  interpreter, 
and  four  Canadians,  should  quit  Fort  Franklin  on  the 
6th  of  August,  and  proceed  direct  to  Dease  River 
with  a  bateau,  and  wait  there  until  the  20th  of  Sep- 
tember, when,  if  Dr.  Richardson  did  not  appear, 
they  were  to  come  back  to  the  fort  in  canoes,  and  to 
leave  the  boat,  with  provision  and  other  necessaries, 
for  the  use  of  the  eastern  detachment.  All  these 
points  were  explained  to  Beaulieu,  and  he  not  only 
understood  every  part  of  the  arrangement,  but  seem- 
ed very  desirous  to  perform  the  important  duty  en- 
trusted to  him.  I  next  drew  up  written  instructions 
for  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Dease,  during  the  absence  of 
the  Expedition,  directing  his  attention  first  to  the 
equipment  and  despatch  of  Beaulieu  on  the  6  th  of 
August,  and  then  to  the  keeping  the  establishment 
well-stored  with  provision.  He  was  aware  of  the 
probability  that  the  western  party  would  meet  his 
Majesty's  ship  Blossom,  and  go  to  Canton   in  her. 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


395 


But  as  unforeseen  circumstances  might  compel  ua  to 
winter  on  the  coast,  I  considered  it  necessary  to  warn 
him  against  inferring,  from  our  not  returning  in  the 
following  autumn,  that  we  had  reached  the  Blossom. 
He  was,  therefore,  directed  to  keep  Fort  Franklin 
complete,  as  to  provision,  until  the  spring  of  1828. 
Dr.  Richardson  was  likewise  instructed,  before  he  left 
the  fort  in  1827,  on  his  return  to  England,  to  see  that 
Mr.  Dease  fully  understood  my  motives  for  giving 
these  orders,  and  that  he  was  provided  with  the 
means  of  purchasing  the  necessary  provision  from  the 
Indians. 

"^Uj-  The  long  reign  of  the  east  wind  was  at  length 
terminated  by  a  fresh  N.  W.  breeze,  and  the  ice  yet 
remaining  on  the  small  lake  soon  disappeared,  under 
the  softening  effects  of  this  wind.  This  lake  had 
been  frozen  eight  months,  wanting  three  days. 
A  narrow  channel  being  opened  along  the  western 
border  of  Bear  Lake,  on  the  14th  Dr.  Richardson  took 
advantage  of  it,  and  went  in  a  small  canoe  with  two 
men  to  examine  the  mountains  on  the  borders  of  Bear . 
Lake  River,  and  to  collect  specimens  of  the  plants 
that  were  now  in  flower,  intending  to  rejoin  the  party 
at  Fort  Norman.  On  the  same  day,  in  1821,  the  for- 
mer Expedition  left  Fort  Enterprise  for  the  sea. 

'^Jj'^f-  The  equipments  of  the  boats  being  now  com- 
plete, they  were  launched  on  the  small  lake,  and  tried 


396 


Thirty  Years 


under  oars  and  sails.  In  the  afternoon  the  men  were 
appointed  to  their  respective  stations,  and  furnished 
with  the  sky-blue  waterproof  uniforms,  an3  feathers, 
as  well  as  with  the  warm  clothing  which  had  been 
provided  for  the  voyage.  I  acquainted  them  fully 
with  the  object  of  the  Expedition,  and  pointed  out 
their  various  duties.  They  received  these  communi- 
cations with  satisfaction,  were  delighted  with  the 
prospect  of  the  voyage,  and  expressed  their  readiness 
to  commence  it  immediately.  Fourteen  men,  includ- 
ing Augustus,  were  appointed  to  accompany  myself 
and  Lieutenant  Back,  in  the  Lion  and  Beliance,  the 
two  larger  boats  ;  and  ten,  including  Ooligbuck,  to 
go  with  Dr.  Kichardson  and  Mr.  Kendall,  in  the  Dol- 
phin and  Union.  In  order  to  make  up  the  complement 
of  fourteen  for  the  western  partyj  I  proposed  to  re- 
ceive two  volunteers  from  the  Canadian  voyagers  ;  and 
to  the  credit  of  Canadian  enterprise,  every  man  came 
forward.  I  chose  Francois  Felix  and  Alexis  Vivier, 
because  they  were  the  first  who  offered  their  services, 
and  this  too  without  any  stipulation  as  to  increase  of 
wages. 

Spare  blankets  and  everything  that  could  be  useful 
for  the  voyage,  or  as  presents  to  the  Esquimaux, 
which  our  stores  could  furnish,  were  divided  between 
the  eastern  and  western  parties,  and  put  up  into  bales 
of  a  size  convenient  for  stowage.     This  interesting 


j! 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


397 


day  was  closed  by  the  consumption  of  a  small  quanti- 
ty of  rum,  reserved  for  the  occasion,  followed  by  a 
merry  dance,  in  which  all  joined  with  great  glee,  in 
their  working  dresses.  On  the  following  Sunday  the 
officers  and  men  assembled  at  Divine  service,  dressed 
in  their  new  uniforms  ;  and  in  addition  to  the  ordi- 
nary service  of  the  day,  the  special  protection  of 
Providence,  was  implored  on  the  enterprise  we  were 
about  to  commence.  The  guns  were  cleaned  the  next 
day,  and  stowed  in  the  arm  chests,  which  had  been 
made  to  fit  the  boats.  Tuesday  and  Wednesday 
were  set  apart  for  the  officers  and  men  to  pack  their 
own  things.  A  strong  western  breeze  occurred  on  the 
21st,  which  removed  the  ice  from  the  front  of  the 
house  and  opened  a  passage  to  the  Bear  Lake  Eiver. 
The  men  were  sent  with  the  boats  and  stores  to  the 
river  in  the  evening,  and  were  heartily  cheered  on 
quitting  the  beach.  The  officers  remained  to  pack 
up  the  charts,  drawings,  and  other  documents,  which 
were  to  be  left  at  the  fort ;  and,  in  the  event  of  none 
of  the  officers  returning,  Mr.  Dease  was  directed  to 
forward  them  to  England.  We  quitted  the  house  at 
half  past  ten,  on  Tuesday  morning,  leaving  Cot6, 
the  fisherman,  in  charge,  until  Mr.  Dease  should  return 
from  Fort  Norman.  This  worthy  old  man,  sharing 
the  enthusiasm  that  animated  the  whole  party,  would 
not  allow  us  to  depart  without  giving  his  hearty, 
tbangh  solitary  cheer,  which  we  returned  in  full  chorus. 


398 


Thirty  Years 


CHAPTER    XV. 


rhnrs. 
22nd. 


On  our  arrival  at  the  Bear  Lake  Eiver,  we 
were  mortified  to  find  the  ice  drifting  down  in  large 
masses,  with  such  rapidity  as  to  render  embarkation 
unsafe.  The  same  cause  detained  us  the  whole  of 
the  following  day  ;  and  as  we  had  brought  no  more 
provision  from  the  house  than  sufiicient  for  an  unin- 
terrupted passage  to  Fort  Norman,  we  sent  for  a  sup- 
ply of  fish.  This  was  a  very  sultry  day,  the  thermom- 
eter in  the  shade  being  71^  at  noon,  and  74**  at  three 

P.M. 

The  descent  of  the  ice  having  ceased  at  eight  in 
the  morning  of  the  24th,  we  embarked.  The  heavy 
stores  were  put  into  a  bateau,  manned  by  Canadians, 
who  were  experienced  in  the  passage  through  rapids, 
and  the  rest  of  the  boats  were  ordered  to  follow  in  its 
wake,  keeping  at  such  a  distance  from  each  other  as 
to  allow  of  any  evolution  that  might  be  necessary  to 
avoid  the  stones.  The  boats  struck  several  times, 
but  received  no  injury.     At  the  foot  of  the  lapid  we 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


399 


met  a  canoe,  manned  by  four  of  our  Canadian  voya- 
pjers,  whom  Dr.  Richardson  had  sent  with  some  letters 
that  had  arrived  at  Fort  Norman  from  the  Athabasca 
Lake  ;  and  as  the  services  of  the  men  were  wanted, 
they  were  embarked  in  the  boats,  and  the  canoe  was 
left.  Shortly  afterwards  we  overtook  Beaulieu,  who 
had  just  killed  a  young  moose  deer,  which  afforded  the 
party  two  substantial  meals.  At  this  spot,  and  gen- 
erally along  the  river,  we  found  abundance  of  wild 
onions.  ^ 

We  entered  the  Mackenzie  River  at  einrht  in  the 
evening,  and  the  current  being  too  strong  for  us  to 
advance  against  the  stream  with  oars,  we  had  recourse 
to  the  tracking  line,  and  traveled  all  night.  It  was 
fatiguing,  owing  to  large  portions  of  the  banks  having 
been  overthrown  by  the  disruption  of  the  ice,  and 
from  the  ground  being  so  soft  that  the  men  dragging 
the  rope  sank  up  to  the  knees  at  every  step  ;  but 
these  impediments  were  less  regarded  than  the  cease- 
less torment  of  the  musquitoes.  We  halted  to  sup  at 
the  spot  where  Sir  A.  Mackenzie  saw  the  flame  rising 
from  the  bank  in  1789.  The  precipice  was  still  on 
fire,  the  smoke  issuing  through  several  apertures. 
Specimens  of  the  coal  were  procured. 
^^ihJ  ^®  reached  Fort  Norman  at  noon  on  the 
25th.  On  the  following  morning  the  provision  and 
stores  which  had  been  left  at  this  place  were  exam- 


400 


Thirty  Years 


ined,  and  found  to  be  in  excellent  order,  except  the 
powder  in  one  of  the  magazines,  which  had  become 
caked  from  damp.  I  had  ordered  a  supply  of  iron- 
work, knives,  and  beads,  for  the  sea  voyage  from  Fort 
Simpson  ;  they  had  arrived  some  days  before  us,  and 
with  our  stock  thus  augmented,  we  were  well  furnished 
with  presents  for  the  natives.  The  packages  being 
finished  on  the  27th,  the  boats  received  their  respec- 
tive ladings,  and  we  were  rejoiced  to  find  that  each 
stowed  her  cargo  well,  and  with  her  crew  embarked 
floated  as  buoyantly  as  our  most  sanguine  wishes  had 
anticipated.  The  heavy  stores,  however,  were  after- 
wards removed  into  a  bateau  that  was  to  be  taken  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  to  prevent  the  smaller  boats 
from  receiving  injury  in  passing  over  the  shoals. 

We  waited  one  day  to  make  some  pounded  meat 
we  had  brought  into  pemmican.  In  the  meantime 
the  seamen  enlarged  the  foresail  of  the  Reliance. 

The  letters  which  I  received  from  the  Athabasca 
department  informed  me  that  the  things  I  had  re- 
quired from  the  Company  in  "February  last,  would  be 
duly  forwarded  ;  they  likewise  contained  a  very  dif- 
ferent version  of  the  story  which  had  led  us  to  suppose 
that  Captain  Parry  was  passing  the  winter  on  the 
northern  coast.  We  now  learned  that  the  Indians 
had  only  seen  some  pieces  of  wood  recently  cut,  and  a 
deer  that  had  been  killed  by  an  arrow  ;  these  things 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


401 


we  concluded  were  done  by  the  Esquimaux.  Three 
men  from  Slave  Lake,  whom  I  had  sent  for  to  supply 
the  place  of  our  Chipewyan  hunters,  who  were  very 
inactive  last  winter,  joined  us  at  this  place.  They 
were  to  accompany  Mr.  Dease  and  the  Canadians  to 
Fort  Franklin  ;  and  that  they,  as  well  as  the  Indians, 
might  have  every  encouragement  to  exert  themselves 
in  procuring  provision  during  the  summer,  I  directed 
a  supply  of  the  goods  they  were  Kkely  to  require,  to 
be  sent  from  Fort  Simpson,  as  soon  as  possible. 
^^28th.^*^  Early  this  morning  the  boats  were  laden 
and  decorated  with  their  ensigns  and  pendants,  and 
after  breakfast  we  quitted  the  Fort,  amidst  the  hearty 
cheers  of  our  friends  Mr.  Dease,  Mr.  Brisbois,  and  the 
Canadians,  and  T  am  sure  carried  their  best  wishes  for 

our  success.      We  halted  at  noon  to  obtain  the  lati- 

* 

tude,  which  placed  the  entrance  of  Bear  Lake  River 
in  64^  55'  ZT'  N. ;  and  Dr.  Richardson  took  advan- 
tage of  this  delay  to  visit  the  mountain  at  that  point, 
but  his  stay  was  short,  in  consequence  of  a  favorable 
breeze  springing  up.  We  perceived  that  the  four 
boats  sailed  at  nearly  an  equal  rate  in  light' breezes, 
but  that  in  strong  winds  the  two  larger  ones  had  the 
advantage.  When  we  landed  to  sup  the  musquitoes 
beset  us  so  furiously  that  we  hastily  despatched  the 
meal  and  re-embarked,  to  drive  under  easy  sail  before 
the  current.     They  continued,  however,  to  pursue  us, 


402 


Thirty  Years 


apd  deprived  us  of  all  rest.     On  our  arrival,  next 
morning,  at  the  place  of  the  first  rapids,  there  was 
scarcely  any  appearance  of  broken  water,  and  the  sand- 
bank on  which  Augustus  had  been  so  perilously  situa- 
ted in  the   preceding  autumn,  was  entirely  covered. 
This  was,  of  course,  to  be  ascribed  to  the  spring  floods  ; 
the  increase  of  water  to  produce  such  a  change,  must 
have   exceeded  six  feet.     In  the  afternoon  we  were 
overtaken  by  a  violent   thunder-storm,   with   heavy 
rain,  which  made  us  apprehensive  for  the  pemmican, 
that  spoils  on  being  wet.     It  unfortunately  happened 
that  a  convenient  place  for  spreading  out  the  bags 
that  were  injured  could  not  be  found,  until  we  reached 
the  Hare-Skin  River,  below  the  Rampart  Defile,  which 
was  at  nine  o'clock.     They  were  spread  out  the  next 
morning,  with  the  other  perishable  parts  of  the  cargo, 
and  we  remained  until  they  were  dry.     We  embarked  *■ 
at  ten,  and,  aided  by  a  favorable  breeze,  made  good 
progress  until  six  p.m.,  when  the  threatening  appear- 
ance of  the  clouds  induced  us  to  put  on  shore,  and  we 
had  but  just  covered  the  baggage  before  heavy  rain 
fell,  that  continued   throughout   the   night.      Four 
Hare  Indians  came  to  the  encampment,  to  whom  dried 
meat  and  ammunition  were  given,  as  they  were  in 
want  of  food  from  being  unable  to  set  their  nets  in 
the  present  high  state  of  the  water.      These  were  the 
only  natives  seen  since  our  departure  from  Fort  Nor- 


)' 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


403 


man  ;  they  informed  us,  that,  in  consequence  of  noj^ 
being  able  to  procure  a  sufficiency  of  fish  in  the  Mac- 
kenzie at  this  season,  their  companions  had  withdrawn 
to  gain  their  subsistence  from  the  small  lakes  in  the 
interior. 

iBtf  ^®  embarked  at  half-past  one  on  the  morning  ot 
July.  The  sultry  weather  of  the  preceding  day  made 
us  now  feel  more  keenly  the  chill  of  a  strong  western 
breeze,  and  the  mist  which  it  brought  on,  about  four 
hours  after  our  departure.  This  wind,  being  contrary 
to  the  current,  soon  raised  such  high  waves  that  the 
boats  took  in  a  great  deal  of  water  ;  and  as  we  made 
but  little  progress,  and  were  very  cold,  we  landed  to 
kindle  a  fire,  and  prepare  breakfast ;  after  which  we 
continued  the  voyage  to  Fort  Good  Hope,  without 
any  of  the  interruptions  from  sand-banks  that  we  had 
experienced  in  the  autumn. 

..On  our  arrival  we  were  saluted  with  a  discharge  ot 
musketry  by  a  large  party  of  Loucheux,  who  had  been 
some  time  waiting  at  the  Fort,  with  their  wives  and 
families,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  us.  After  a  short 
conference  with  Mr.  Bell,  the  master  of  the  post,  we 
were  informed  that  these  Indians  had  lately  met  a 
numerous  party  of  Esquimaux  at  the  Red  River,  by 
appointment,  to  purchase  their  furs  ;  and  that  in  con- 
sequence of  a  misunderstanding  respecting  some  bar- 
gain,  a  quarrel  had  ensued  between  them,   which 


rr 


404 


Thirty  Years 


lirtunately  terminated  without  bloodshed.  We  could 
not,  however,  gain  any  satisfactory  account  of  the 
movements  of  the  Esquimaux.  The  only  answers  to 
our  repeated  questions  on  these  points  were,  that  the 
Esquimaux  came  in  sixty  canoes  to  Bed  Eiver,  and 
that  they  supposed  them  to  have  gone  down  the 
eastern  channel,  for  the  purpose  of  fishing  near  its 
mouth.  The  chief,  however,  informed  us  that  he  had 
mentioned  our  coming  to  their  lands  this  spring,  and 
that  they  had  received  the  intelligence  without  com- 
ment ;  but  from  his  not  having  alluded  to  this  com- 
munication until  the  question  was  pressed  upon  him, 
and  from  the  manner  of  his  answering  our  inquiries,  I 
thought  it  doubtful  whether  such  a  communication 
had  really  been  made. 

We  had  been  led  to  expect  much  information  from 
the  Loucheux  respecting  the  channels  of  the  river,  and 
the  coast  on  the  east  and  west  side  near  its  mouth,  but 
we  were  greatly  disappointed.  They  were  ignorant  of 
the  channel  we  ought  to  follow  in  order  to  arrive  at 
the  western  mouth  of  the  river ;  and  the  only  intelli- 
gence they  gave  us  respecting  the  coast  on  that  side 
was,  that  the  Esquimaux  represented  it  to  be  almost 
constantly  beset  by  ice.  They  said  also  that  they 
were  unacquainted  with  the  tribes  who  reside  to  the 
westward.  Several  ot  the  party  had  been  down  the 
eastern  channel,  of  which  they  made  a  rude  sketch ; 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


405 


and  their  account  of  the  coast  on  that  side  was,  that^ 
as  far  as  they  were  acquainted  with  it,  it  was  free  from 
ice  during  the  summer. 

Having  ascertained  that  the  Esquimaux  were  likely 
to  be  seen  in  greater  numbers  than  had  been  at  first 
imagined,  I  increased  the  stock  of  presents  from  the 
store  at  this  place,  and  exchanged  two  of  our  guns, 
which  were  defective,  that  the  party  might  have  entire 
confidence  in  their  arms.  And  to  provide  against  the 
casualty  of  either  or  both  branches  of  the  Expedition 
having  to  return  this  way,  I  requested  Mr.  Bell  to 
store  up  as  much  meat  as  he  could  during  the  summer. 
We  learned  from  this  gentleman  that  the  supply  of 
meat  at  this  post  was  very  precarious,  and  that  had 
we  not  left  the  five  bags  of  pemmican  in  the  autumn, 
the  residents  would  have  been  reduced  to  great  distress 
for  food  during  the  winter.  These  bags  were  now  re- 
placed. The  arrangements  being  concluded,  we  spent 
the  greater  part  of  the  night  in  writing  to  England. 
I  addressed  to  the  Colonial  Secretary  an  account  of 
our  proceed  i>gs  up  to  this  time,  and  I  felt  happy  to 
be  able  to  state  that  we  were  equipped  with  every 
requisite  for  the  Expedition. 

Sunday  ^^  quittcd  Fort  Good  Hope  at  five  on  the 
2nd.  In  the  passage  down  the  river  we  were  visited 
by  several  Loucheux,  who,  the  instant  we  appeared, 
launched  their  canoes,  and  came  off  to  welcome  us. 


406 


Thirty  Years 


We  landed,  at  their  request,  to  purchase  fish  ;  yet, 
after  the  bargain  had  been  completed,  an  old  woman 
stepped  forward,  and  would  only  allow  of  our  receiv- 
ing two  fish  :  she  maintained  her  point  and  carried  off 
the  rest  in  spite  of  all  remonstrance.  The  natives 
were  all  clothed  in  new  leathern  dresses,  and  looked 
much  neater,  and  in  better  health,  than  last  autumn. 
Being  anxious  to  reach  the  Eed  River,  we  continued 
rowing  against  the  wind  until  after  midnight.  On 
reaching  that  place,  the  ground  proved  too  wet  for  us 
to  encamp  ;  we,  therefore,  proceeded  a  short  distance 
lower  down,  and  put  up  under  some  sandstone  cliffs, 
where  there  was  but  just  room  for  the  tents.  As  we 
were  now  on  the  borders  of  the  Esquimaux  territory, 
we  devoted  the  following  morning  to  cleaning  the 
arms  ;  and  a  gun,  dagger,  and  ammunition,  were  is- 
sued to  each  person.  We  had  no  reason,  indeed,  to 
apprehend  hostility  from  the  Esquimaux,  after  the 
messages  they  had  sent  to  Fort  Franklin,  but  vigi- 
lance and  precaution  are  never  to  be  omitted  in  inter- 
course with  strange  tribes. 

^ff^  Embarking  at  two  in  the  afternoon  of  the  3rd, 
we  soon  entered  the  expansion  of  the  river  whence  the 
different  channels  branch  off,  and  steering  along  the 
western  shore,  we  came  to  the  head  of  a  branch  that 
flowed  towards  the  Rocky  Mountain  range.  Being 
anxious  not  to  take  the  eastern  detachment  out  of 


In  the  Arctic  Herjions. 


407 


ment  out  of 


their  course,  I  immediately  encamped  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  the  separation  of  the  par- 
ties. The  warm  clothing,  shoes,  and  articles  for  pre- 
sents, had  been  previously  put  up  in  separate  packages, 
but  the  provisions  remained  to  be  divided,  which  was 
done  in  due  proportion.  Twenty-six  bags  of  pemmi- 
can,  and  two  of  grease,  were  set  apart  for  the  Dolphin 
and  Union,  with  a  supply  of  arrow-root,  macaroni, 
flour,  and  portable  soup,  making  in  all  eighty  days' 
provision,  with  an  allowance  for  waste.  The  Lion 
and  Keliance  received  thirty-two  bags  of  pemmican, 
and  two  of  grease,  with  sufficient  arrow-root,  &c.,  to 
make  their  supply  proportionate  to  that  of  the  eastern 
party.  Provided  no  accident  occurred,  neither  party 
could  be  in  absolute  want  for  the  whole  summer,  be- 
cause at  two-thirds  allowance  the  pemmican  could  be 
made  to  last  one  hundred  days  ;  and  we  had  reason 
to  expect  to  meet  with  deer  occasionally.  In  the  even- 
ing I  delivered  my  instructions  to  Dr.  Kichardson. 

As  the  parties  entertained  for  each  other  sentiments 
of  true  friendship  and  regard,  it  will  easily  be  imagin- 
ed that  the  evening  preceding  our  separation  was 
spent  in  the  most  cordial  and  cheerful  manner.  We 
felt  that  we  were  only  separating  to  be  employed  on 
services  of  equal  interest ;  and  we  looked  forward  with 
delight  to  our  next  meeting,  when,  after  a  successful 
termination,  we  might  recount  the  incidents  of  our 


408 


Thirty  Years 


respective  voyages.  The  best  supper  our  means  af- 
forded was  provided,  and  a  bowl  of  punch  crowned 
the  parting  feast. 

We  were  joined  by  an  elderly  Loucheux,  who  gave 
us  a  better  account  of  the  eastern  and  western  chan- 
nels than  we  had  hitherto  obtained.  "  The  west 
branch,"  he  said,  "  would  take  us  to  the  sea,  and  flowed 
the  whole  way  at  no  great  distance  from  the  mountains." 
"  The  eastern  was  a  good  channel,  and  passed  close  to 
the  hills  on  that  side."  He  further  informed  us  that 
the  Esquimaux  were  generally  to  be  found  on  an  island 
in  the  eastern  channel,  but  were  seldom  seen  in  the 
western  branch.  He  was,  however,  unacquainted  with 
the  coast,  and  we  found  afterwards  that  he  knew  little 
about  the  movements  of  the  Esquimaux. 
Tuesday  gy  gj^  jjj  ^jjg  morning  of  the  4th  the  boats 

were  all  laden,  and  ready  for  departure.  It  was  im- 
possible not  to  be  struck  with  the  difference  between 
our  present  complete  state  of  equipment  and  that  on 
which  we  had  embarked  on  our  former  disastrous  voy- 
age. Instead  of  a  frail  bark  canoe,  and  a  scanty  sup- 
ply of  food,  we  were  now  about  to  commence  the  sea 
voyage  in  excellent  boats,  stored  with  three  months' 
provision.  At  Dr.  Richardson's  desire  the  western 
party  embarked  first.  He  and  his  companions  saluted 
us  with  three  hearty  cheers,  which  were  warmly  re- 
turned ;  and  as  we  were  passing  round  the  poia:  that 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona, 


409 


was  to  hide  them  from  our  view,  we  perceived  them 
also  embarking.     Augustus  was  rather  melancholy,  as    ^ 
might  have  been  expected,  on  his  parting  from  Oolig- 
buck,  to  proceed  he  knew  not  whither  ;  but  he  recov- 
ered his  wonted  flow  of  spirits  by  the  evening. 

Our  course  was  directly  towards  the  Eocky  Moun- 
tain range,  till  we  came  near  the  low  land  that  skirts 
its  base  ;  where,  following  the  deepest  channel,  we 
turned  to  the  northward.  I  was  desirous  of  coasting 
the  main  shore,  but  finding  some  of  the  westernmost 
branches  too  shallow,  we  kept  on  the  outside  of  three 
islands  for  about  twelve  miles,  when  we  entered  the 
channel  that  washes  the  west  side  of  Simpson's  Is- 
land. It  was  winding,  and  its  breadth  seldom  exceed- 
ed a  quarter  of  a  mile.  During  our  progress  we  oc- 
casionally caught  a  glimpse  of  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
which  was  an  agreeable  relief  to  the  very  dull  picture 
that  the  muddy  islands  in  our  neighborhood  afforded. 
"We  halted  to  breakfast  just  before  noon,  and  observed 
the  latitude  67^*  51'  N. 

In  the  afternoon  one  deer  was  seen,  and  many 
swans  and  goese ;  we  did  not  fire  at  them,  for  fear  of 
alarming  any  Esquimaux  that  might  be  near.  En- 
camped at  eight  p.  m.,  opposite  Simpson's  Island. 
The  boats  were  secured  without  discharging  the  car- 
goes, and  two  men  were  placed  on  guard,  to  be  reliev- 
ed every  two  hours. 


18 


4L0 


Thirty  Years 


^Sf-  We  set  forward  at  four  A.  M.,  with  a  favorable 
^  breeze,  and  made  good  progress,  though  the  river  was 
very  winding.  At  eight  we  entered  a  branch  that 
turned  to  the  westward  round  the  point  of  Halkett 
Ishind  into  the  channel  washing  the  main  shore.  We 
soon  afterwards  arrived  at  a  spot  where  a  large  body 
of  Esquimaux  had  been  encamped  in  the  spring,  and 
supposing  that  they  might  revisit  this  place,  a  present 
of  an  ice-chisel,  kettle,  and  knife,  was  hung  up  in  a 
conspicuous  situation.  Soon  after  we  had  entered  the 
channel  that  flows  by  the  main  shore,  we  first  perceiv- 
ed lop-sticks,  or  pine  trees,  divested  of  their  lower 
branches,  for  the  purpose  of  land-marks,  and  there- 
fote  concluded  it  was  much  frequented  by  the  Esqui- 
maux. Our  course  was  then  altered  to  N.  W.,  and 
we  soon  passed  the  last  of  the  well  wooded  islands. 
The  spruce  fir-trees  terminated  in  latitude  68°  36'  N.  ; 
and  dwarf  willows  only  grew  below  this  part.  A  very 
picturesque  view  was  obtained  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  we  saw  the  entire  outline  of  their  peaked 
hills,  table-land,  and  quoin-shaped  terminations.  Two 
lofty  ranges  were  fronted  by  a  lower  line  of  round- 
backed  hills,  in  which  we  perceived  the  strata  to 
be  horizontal,  and  the  stone  of  a  yellow  color.  A 
few  miles  lower  down  we  found  hills  of  sand  close  to 
the  west  border  of  the  river.  We  passed  several  de- 
serted huts,  anci  in  one  spot   saw  many  chips   and 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


4L1 


pieces  of  split  drift-wood,  that  appeared  to  have  been 
recently  cut.  The  channel  varied  in  breadth  from  a  ^ 
half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  but,  except  in  the 
stream  of  the  current,  the  water  was  so  shallow  as 
scarcely  to  float  the  boats,  and  its  greatest  depth  did 
not  exceed  five  feet.  We  landed  at  eight  p.  m.,  on 
Ilalkett  Island,  intending  to  encamp,  but  owing  to 
the  swampiness  of  the  ground  the  tent  could  not  be 
pitched.  Plaving  made  a  fire  and  cooked  our  supper, 
we  retired  to  sleep  under  the  coverings  of  the  boats, 
which  atforded  us  good  shelter  from  a  gale  and  heavy 
rain  that  came  on  before  midnight.  Latitude  68° 
39'  N.,  longitude  135°  35'  W. 

^6th?'  "^^^  continuance  of  stormy  weather  detained 
us  until  two  P.M.  of  the  6th,  when,  the  rain  ceasing^ 
we  embarked.  After  passing  through  the  expansion 
of  the  river  near  the  west  extreme  of  Halkett  Island, 
we  turned  into  the  narrower  and  more  winding  chan- 
nel, between  Oolvill  Island  and  the  main.  A  fog 
coming  on  at  eight  p.m.  we  encamped.  Several  of  the 
glaucous  gulls  were  seen,  and  this  circumstance,  as 
well  as  a  line  of  bright  cloud  to  the  N.W.  resembling 
the  ice-blink,  convinced  us  that  the  sea  was  not  far 
oif.  A  rein-deer  appearing  near  the  encampment,  two 
men  were  sent  after  it,  who  returned  unsuccessful. 
Augustus  obtained  a  goose  for  supper.  Many  geese, 
swans,  and  ducks,  had  been  seen  on  the  marshy  shores 

"  *he  island  in  the  course  of  the  day. 


412 


Thirty   Years 


^TUiT'  '^^^  night  was  cold,  and  at  day-light  on  the 
7th  the  thermometer  indicated  36°.  Embarking  at 
four  A.M.  we  sailed  down  the  river  for  two  hours,  when 
our  progress  was  arrested  by  the  shallowness  of  the 
water.  Having  endeavored,  without  effect,  to  drag 
the  boats  over  the  flat,  we  remounted  the  stream  to 
examine  an  opening  to  the  westward,  which  we  had 
passed.  On  reaching  the  opening  we  found  the  cur- 
rent setting  through  it  into  the  Mackenzie,  by  which 
we  knew  that  it  could  not  afford  a  passage  to  the  sea, 
but  we  pulled  up  it  a  little  way,  in  the  hop^of  ob- 
taining a  view  over  the  surrounding  low  grounds  f^  m 
.the  top  of  an  Esquimaux -house  which  we  saw  before 
us.  A  low  fog,  which  had  prevailed  all  the  morning, 
cleared  away,  and  we  discovered  that  the  stream  we 
had  now  ascended  issued  from  a  chain  of  lakes  lying 
betwixt  us  and  the  western  hills,  whi^h  were  about 
six  miles  distant,  the  whole  intervenint;  country  be- 
tween the  hills,  and  the  Mackenzie  being  flat. 

After  obtaining  an  observation  for  longitude  in  136° 
19'  W.,  and  taking  the  bearing  of  several  remarkable 
points  of  the  Kocky  Mountain  range,  we  returned  to 
the  Mackenzie,  and  passing  the  shallows  which  had 
before  impeded  us,  by  taking  only  half  the  boats'  car- 
goes over  at  a  time,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  Whilst  the  crews  were  stowing  the  boats, 
I  obtained  an  observation  for  latitude  in  68°  53'  N., 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


413 


t  on  the 

rking  at 

rs,  when 

is  of  the 

to  drag 

ream  to 

I  we  had 

the  cur- 

3y  which 

the  sea, 

►  of  ob- 

nds  fi.  m 

.w  before 

morning, 

tream  we 

kes  lying 

re  about 

mtry  be- 

3  in  136^ 

narkable 
urned  to 
lich  had 
)ats'  car- 
oaouth  of 
le  boats, 
*  53'  N., 


and  having  walked  towards  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
discovered  on  an  island,  which  formed  the  east  side  of 
the  bay  into  which  the  river  opened,  a  crowd  of  tents, 
with  many  Esquimaux  strolling  amongst  them.  I  in- 
stantly hastened  to  tho  boats,  to  make  preparations 
for  opening  a  communication  with  them,  agreeably  to 
my  instructions.  A  selection  of  articles  for  presents 
and  trade  being  made,  the  rest  of  the  lading  was  close- 
ly covered  up  ;  the  arms  were  inspected,  and  every 
man  was  directed  to  keep  his  gun  ready  for  immediate 
use.  I  had  previously  informed  Lieutenant  Back  of 
my  intention  of  opening  the  communication  with  the 
Esquimaux  by  landing  amongst  them,  accompanied 
only  by  Augustus  ;  and  I  now  instructed  him  to  keep 
the  boats  afloat,  and  the  crews  with  their  arms  ready 
to  support  us  in  the  event  of  the  natives  proving  hos- 
tile ;  but  on  no  account  to  fire  until  he  was  convinced 
that  our  safety  could  be  secured  in  no  other  way. 
Having  received  an  impression  from  the  narratives  of 
different  navigators  that  the  sacrifices  of  life  which  had 
occurred  in  their  interviews  with  savages,  had  been 
generally  occasioned  by  the  crews  mistaking  noise  and 
violent  gestures  for  decided  hostility,  I  thought  it  ne- 
cessary to  explain  my  sentiments  on  this  point  to  all 
the  men,  and  peremptorily  forbade  their  firing  till  I 
set  the  example,  or  till  they  were  ordered  to  do  so  by 
Lieutenant  Back.    They  were  also  forbidden  to  trade 


414 


Thirty   Years 


with  the  natives  on  any  pretence,  and  were  ordered  to 
leave  every  thing  of  that  kind  to  the  officers. 
/•  •  *0n  quitting  the  channel  of  the  river  we  entered  into 
the  bay,  which  was  about  six  miles  wide,  with  an  un- 
bounded prospect  to  seaward,  and  steered  towards  the 
tents  under  easy  sail,  with  the  ensigns  flying.  The 
water  became  shallow  as  we  drew  towards  the  island, 
and  the  boats  touched  the  ground  when  about  a  mile 
from  the  beach  ;  we  shouted,  and  made  signs  to  the 
Esquimaux  to  come  off",  and  then  pulled  a  short  way 
back  to  await  their  arrival  in  deeper  water.  Three 
canoes  instantly  put  off  from  the  shore,  and  before 
they  could  reach  us  others  were  launched  in  such  quick 
succession,  that  the  whole  space  between  the  island 
and  the  boats  was  covered  by  them.  The  Esquimaux 
canoes  contain  only  one  person,  and  are  named 
kaiyacks  ;  but  they  have  a  kind  of  open  boat  capable 
of  holding  six  or  eight  people,  which  is  named  oomiah. 
The  men  alone  use  the  kaiyacks,  and  the  oomiaks  are 
allotted  to  the  women  and  children.  We  endeavored 
to  count  their  numbers  as  they  approached,  and  had 
proceeded  as  far  as  seventy-three  canoes,  and  five 
oomiaks,  when  the  sea  became  so  crowded  by  fresh 
arrivals,  that  we  could  advance  no  farther  in  our 
reckoning.  The  three  headmost  canoes  were  paddled 
by  elderly  men,  who,  most  probably,  had  been  selected 
to  open  the  communication.     They  advanced  towards 


In  the  Arctic  Bcgiona. 


415 


rdered  io 

3red  into 
h  an  un- 
^ards  the 
g.  The 
e  island, 
it  a  mile 
IS  to  the 
lort  way 
Three 
d  before 
3h  quick 
le  island 
[uimaux 

named 
capable 
oomiak. 
iaks  are 
ieavored 
md  had 
ind  five 
by  fresh 

in  our 
paddled 
selected 
towards 


us  with  much  caution,  halting  when  just  within 
speaking  distance,  until  they  had  been  assured  of  our 
friendship,  and  repeatedly  invited  by  Augustus  to  ap- 
proach and  receive  the  present  which  I  offered  to 
them.  Augustus  next  explained  to  them  in  detail  the 
purport  of  our  visit,  and  told  them  that  if  we  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  a  navigable  channel  for  large  ships, 
a  trade  highly  beneficial  to  them  would  be  opened. 
They  were  delighted  with  this  intelligence,  and  re- 
peated it  to  their  countrymen,  who  testified  their  joy 
by  tossing  their  hands  aloft,  and  raising  the  most 
deafening  shout  of  applause  I  ever  heard. 

After  the  first  present,  I  resolved  to  bestow  no  more 
gratuitously,  but  always  to  exact  something,  however 
small,  in  return  ;  the  thrie^elderly  men  readily  offered 
the  ornaments  they  wore  in  their  cheeks,  their  arms, 
and  knives,  in  exchange  for  the  articles  I  gave  them. 
Up  to  this  time  the  first  three  were  the  only  kaiyacks 
that  had  ventured  neaf  the  boats,  but  the  natives 
around  us  had  now  incr^sed  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
or  three  hundred  persons,  and  they  all  became  anxious 
to  share  in  the  lucrative  trade  which  they  saw  estab- 
lished, and  pressed  eagerly  upon  us,  offering  for  sale 
their  bows,  arrows,  and  gpears,  which  they  had  hither- 
to kept  conceale^l  within  their  canoes.  I  endeavored 
in  vain,  amidst  i..  clamor  and  bustle  of  trade,  to  ob- 
tain some  information  respecting  the  coast,  but  finding 


416 


Thirty  Years 


the  natives  becoming  more  and  more  importunate  and 
troublesome,  I  determini'd  to  leave  thom,  and,  there- 
fore, dii^cted  the  boats'  heads  to  bo  put  to  seaward. 
Notwithstanding  the  forwardness  of  the  Esquimaux, 
which  we  attributed  solely  to  the  desire  of  a  rude 
people  to  obtain  the  novel  articles  they  saw  in  our 
possession,  they  had  hitherto  shown  no  unfriendly 
disposition  ;  and  when  we  told  them  of  our  intention 
of  going  to  sea.  they  expressed  no  desire  to  detain  us, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  when  the  Lion  grounded  in  the 
act  of  turning,  they  assisted  us  in  the  kindest  manner 
by  dragging  her  round.  Tliis  manoeuvre  was  not  of 
much  advantage  to  us,  for,  from  the  rapid  ebbing  of 
the  tide,  both  boats  lay  aground  ;  and  the  Esquimaux 
told  us,  through  the  medium  of  Augustus,  that  the 
whole  bay  was  alike  flat,  which  we  afterwards  found 
to  be  correct. 

An  accident  happened  at  this  time,  which  was 
productive  of  unforeseen  and  very  annoying  conse- 
quences. A  kaiyack  being  overset  by  one  of  the 
Lion's  oars,  its  owner  was  plunged  into  the  water  with 
his  head  in  the  mud,  and  apparently  in  danger  of 
being  drowned.  We  instantly  extricated  him  from 
his  unpleasant  situation,  and  took  him  into  the  boat 
until  the  water  could  be  thrown  out  of  his  kaiyack, 
and  Augustus,  seeing  him  shivering  with  cold,  wrapped 
him  up  in  his  own  great  coat.      At  first  he  was  ex- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions , 


417 


coedingly  angry,  but  soon  booamo  reoonoiled  to  his 
Bituation,  and  looking  about,  discovered  that  we  had 
many  bales,  and  other  artiolos,  in  the  boat,  which  had 
been  concealed  from  the  people  in  the  kaiyacks,  by  the 
coverings  being  carefully  spread  over  all.  He  soon 
began  to  ask  for  every  thing  he  saw,  and  expressed 
much  displeasure  on  our  refusing  to  comply  with  bis 
demands  ;  he  also,  as  we  afterwards  learned,  excited 
the  cupidity  of  others  by  his  account  of  the  inex- 
haustible riches  in  the  Lion,  and  several  of  the  younger 
men  endeavored  to  get  into  both  our  boats,  but  we 
resisted  all  their  attempts.  Though  we  had  not 
hitherto  observed  any  of  them  stealing,  yet  they 
showed  so  much  desire  to  obtain  my  flag,  that  I  had 
it  furled  and  put  out  of  sight,  as  well  as  every  thing 
else  that  I  thought  could  prove  a  temptation  to  them. 
They  continued,  however,  to  press  upon  us  so  closely, 
and  made  so  many  efforts  to  get  into  the  boats,  that  I 
accepted  the  offer  of  two  chiefs,  who  said  that  if  they 
were  allowed  to  come  in,  they  would  keep  the  others 
out.  For  a  time  they  kept  their  word,  and  the  crews 
took  advantage  of  the  respite  thus  afforded,  to  en- 
deavor to  force  the  boats  towards  the  river  into  deeper 
water.  The  Reliance  floated,  but  the  Lion  was  im- 
movable, and  Lieutenant  Back  dropping  astern  again 
made  his  boat  fast  to  the  Lion  by  a  rope.  At  this 
time  one  of  the  Lion's  crew  perceived  that  the  man 


18* 


418 


Tliirty  Yeurs 


whose  kaiyack  had  been  upset  had  a  pistol  under  his 
shirt,  and  was  about  to  take  it  from  him,  but  I  ordered 
him  to  desist,  as  I  thought  it  might  have  been  pur- 
chased from  the  Loucheux.  It  had  been,  in  fact, 
stolen  from  Lieutenant  Back,  and  the  thief,  perceiving 
our  attention  directed  to  it,  leaped  out  of  the  boat, 
and  joined  his  countrymen,  carrying  with  him  the 
great  coat  which  Augustus  had  lent  him. 

The  water  bad  now  ebbed  so  far,  that  it  was  not 
knee-deep  at  the  boats,  and  the  younger  men  wading 
in  crowds  around  us,  tried  to  steal  every  thing  within 
their  reach ;  slyly,  however,  and  with  so  much  dex- 
terity, as  almost  to  escape  detection.  The  moment 
this  disposition  was  manifested,  I  directed  the  crews 
not  to  suffer  any  one  to  come  alongside,  and  desired 
Augustus  to  tell  the  two  chiefs,  who  still  remained 
seated  in  the  Lion,  that  the  noise  and  confusion 
occasioned  by  the  crowd  around  the  boats  greatly  im- 
peded our  exertions  ;  and  that  if  they  would  go  on 
shore  and  leave  us  for  the  present,  we  would  hereafter 
return  from  the  ship  which  we  expected  to  meet  near 
this  part  of  the  coast,  with  a  more  abundant  supply 
of  goods.  They  received  this  communication  with 
much  apparent  satisfaction,  and  jumping  out  of  the 
boats  repeated  the  speech  aloud  to  their  companions. 
From  the  general  exclamation  of  "teyma,"  which 
followed,  and  from  perceiving  many  of  the  elderly  men 


In  the  Arctic  Begions. 


419 


retire  to  a  distance,  I  conceived  that  they  acquiesced 
in  the  propriety  of  the  suggestion,  a  id  that  they  were 
going  away,  but  I  was  much  deceived.  They  only 
retired  to  concert  a  plan  of  attack,  and  returned  in  a 
short  time  shouting  some  words  which  Augustus  could 
not  make  out.  We  soon,  however,  discovered  their 
purport,  by  two  of  the  three  chiefs  who  were  on  board 
the  Reliance,  jumping  out,  and,  with  the  others  who 
hurried  to  their  assistance,  dragging  her  towards  the 
south  shore  of  the  river.  Lieutenant  Back  desired 
the  chief  who  remained  with  him  to  tell  them  to 
desist,  but  he  replied  by  pointing  to  the  beach,  and 
repeating  the  word  teyma,  teymUj  with  a  good-natured 
smile.  He  said,  however,  something  to  those  who 
were  seated  in  the  canoes  that  were  alongside,  on 
which  they  threw  their  long  knives  and  arrows  into 
the  boat,  taking  care,  in  so  doing,  that  the  handles 
and  feathered  ends  were  turned  towards  the  crew,  as 
an  indication  of  pacific  intentions. 

As  soon  as  T  perceived  the  Eeliance  moving  under 
the  efforts  of  the  natives,  I  directed  the  Lion's  crew  to 
endeavor  to  follow  her,  but  our  boat  remained  fast  un- 
til the  Esquimaux  lent  their  aid  and  dragged  her  after 
the  Reliance.  Two  of  the  most  powerful  men,  jump- 
ing on  board  at  the  same  time,  seized  me  by  the  wriats 
and  forced  me  to  sit  between  them  ;  and  as  I  shook 
them  loose  two  or  three  times,  a  third  Esquimaux 


420 


Thirty  Tears 


took  his  station  in  front  to  catch  my  arm  whenever  I 
attempted  to  lift  my  gun,  or  the  hroad  dagger  which 
hung  hymy  side.  The  whole  way  to  the  shore  they 
kept  repeating  the  word  " teyma"  beating  gently  on 
my  left  breast  with  their  hands,  and  pressing  mine 
against  their  breasts.  As  we  neared  the  beach,  two 
oomiaks,  full  of  women,  arrived,  and  the  "  teymas ' 
and  vociferation  were  redoubled.  The  Eeliance  was 
first  brought  to  the  shore,  and  the  Lion  close  to  her  a 
few  seconds  afterwards.  The  three  men  who  held  me 
now  leaped  ashore,  and  those  who  had  remained  in 
their  canoes,  taking  them  out  of  the  water,  carried 
them  to  a  little  distance.  A  numerous  party  then 
drawing  their  knives,  and  stripping  themselves  to  the 
waist,  ran  to  the  Eeliance,  and  having  first  hauled  her 
as  far  up  as  they  could,  began  a  regular  pillage,  hand- 
ing the  articles  to  the  women,  who,  ranged  in  a  row  be- 
hind, quickly  conveyed  them  out  of  sight.  Lieuten- 
ant Back  and  his  crew  strenuously,  but  good-humor- 
edly,  resisted  the  attack,  and  rescued  many  things 
from  their  grasp,  but  they  were  overpowered  by  num- 
bers, and  had  even  some  difficulty  in  preserving  their 
arms.  One  fellow  had  the  audacity  to  snatch  Vivier's 
knife  from  his  breast,  and  to  cut  the  buttons  from  his 
coat,  whilst  three  stout  Esquimaux  surrounded  Lieut- 
enant Back  with  uplifted  daggers,  and  were  incessant 
in  their  demands  for  whatever  attracted  their  atten- 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


421 


tion,  especially  for  the  anchor  buttons  which  he  wore 
on  his  waistcoat.    In  this  juncture  a  young  chief  com- 
ing to  his  aid,  drove  the  assailants  away.     In  their  re- 
treat they  carried  off  a  writing  desk  and  cloak,  which 
the  chief  rescued,  and  then  seating  himself  on  Lieu- 
tenant Back's  knee,  he  endeavored  to  persuade  his 
countrymen  to  desist  by  vociferating  "  teyma  teyma" 
and  was,  indeed,  very  active  in  saving  whatever  he 
could  from  their  depredations.    The  Lion  had  hitherto 
been  beset  by  smaller  numbers,  and  her  crew,  by  firm- 
ly keeping  their  seats  on  the  cover  spread  over  the 
cargo,  and  by  beating  the  natives  off  with  the  butt- 
ends  of  their  muskets,  had  been  able  to  prevent  any 
article  of  importance  from  being  carried  away.     But 
as  soon  as  I  perceived  that  the  work  of  plunder  was 
going  on  so  actively  in  the  Reliance,  I  went  with  Au- 
gustus to  assist  in  repressing  the  tumult ;  and  our 
bold  and  active  little  interpreter  rushed  among  the 
crowd  on  shore,  and  harangued  them  on  their  treach- 
erous conduct,  until  he  was  actually  hoarse.     In  a 
short  time,  however,  I  was  summoned  back  by  Dun- 
can, who  called  out  to  me  that  the  Esquimaux  had 
now  commenced  in  earnest  to  plunder  the  Lion,  and, 
on  my  return,  I  found  the  sides  of  the  boat  lined  with 
men  as  thick  as  they  could  stand,  brandishing  their 
knives  in  the  most  furious  manner,  and  attempting  to 
seize  everything  that  was  movable;  whilst  another 


422 


Thirty  Years 


party  was  ranged  on  the  outside  ready  to  bear  away 
the  stolen  goods.  The  Lion's  crew  still  kept  their 
seats,  but  as  it  was  impossible  for  so  small  a  number 
to  keep  off  such  a  formidable  and  determined  body, 
several  articles  were  carried  off.  Our  principal  object 
was  to  prevent  the  loss  of  the  arms,  oars,  or  masts,  or 
any  thing  on  which  the  continuance  of  the  voyage,  or 
our  personal  safety,  depended.  Many  attempts  were 
made  to  purloin  the  box  containing  the  astronomical 
instruments,  and  Duncan,  after  thrice  rescuing  it  from 
their  hand^,  made  it  fast  to  his  leg  with  a  cord,  deter- 
mined that  they  should  drag  him  away  also  if  they 
took  it. 

In  the  whole  of  this  unequal  contest,  the  self-posses- 
sion of  our  men  was  not  more  conspicuous  than  the 
coolness  with  which  the  Esquimaux  received  the  heavy 
blows  dealt  to  them  with  the  butts  of  the  muskets. 
But  at  length,  irritated  at  being  so  often  foiled  in 
their  attempts,  several  of  them  jumped  on  board  and 
forcibly  endeavored  to  take  the  daggers  and  shot-belts 
that  were  about  the  men's  persons  ;  and  I  myself  was 
engaged  with  three  of  them  who  were  trying  to  disarm 
me.  Lieutenant  Back  perceiving  our  situation,  and 
fully  appreciating  my  motives  in  not  coming  to  ex- 
tremities, had  the  kindness  to  send  to  my  assistance 
the  young  chief  who  had  protected  him,  and  who,  on 
his  arrival,  drove  my  antagonists  out  of  the  boat.    I 


In  the  Arctic  Eegions. 


423 


then  saw  that  my  crew  were  nearly  overpowered  in 
the  fore  part  of  the  boat,  and  hastening  to  their  aid, 
I  fortunately  arrived  in  time  to  prevent  George  Wil- 
son from  discharging  the  contents  of  his  musket  into 
the  body  of  an  Esquimaux.  He  had  received  a  pro- 
vocation of  which  I  was  ignorant  until  the  next  day, 
for  the  fellow  had  struck  at  him  with  a  knife,  and 
cut  through  his  coat  and  waistcoat ;  and  it  was  only 
after  the  affray  was  over  that  I  learned  that  Gustavus 
Aird,  the  bowman  of  the  Lion,  and  three  of  the  Re- 
liance's crew,  had  also  narrowly  escaped  from  being 
wounded,  their  clothes  being  cut  by  the  blows  made 
at  them  with  knives.  No  sooner  was  the  bow  cleared 
of  one  set  of  marauders  than  another  party  commen- 
ced their  operations  at  the  stern.  My  gun  was  now 
the  object  of  the  struggle,  which  was  beginning  to  as- 
sume a  more  serious  complexion,  when  the  whole  of 
the  Esquimaux  suddenly  fled,  and  hid  themselves  be- 
hind the  drift  timber  and  canoes  on  the'  beach.  It 
appears  that  by  the  exertions  of  the  crew,  the  Reliance 
was  again  afloat,  and  Lieutenant  Back  wisely  judging 
that  this  was  the  proper  moment  for  more  active  in- 
terference, directed  his  men  to  level  their  muskets, 
which  had  produced  that  sudden  panic.  The  Lion 
happily  floated  soon  after,  and  both  were  retiring  from 
the  beach,  when  the  Esquimaux  having  recovered  from 
their  consternation,  put  their  kaiyacks  in  the  water, 


424 


Thirty  Tears 


and  were  preparing  to  follow  us ;  but  1  desired  Au- 
gustus to  say  that  I  would  shoot  the  first  man  who 
came  within  range  of  our  muskets,  which  prevented 
them. 

It  was  now  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and 
we  had  been  engaged  in  this  harassing  contest  for 
several  hours,  yet  the  only  things  of  importance  which 
they  had  carried  off  were  the  mess  canteen  and  kettles, 
a  tent,  a  bale  containing  blankets  and  shoes,  one  ot 
the  men's  bags,  and  the  jib-sails.  The  other  articles 
they  took  could  well  be  spared,  and  they  would,  in 
fact,  have  been  distributed  amongst  them,  had  they 
remained  quiet.  The  place  to  which  the  boats  were 
dragged  is  designated  by  the  name  of  Pillage  Point. 
I  cannot  sufficiently  praise  the  fortitude  and  obedience 
of  both  the  boats'  crews  in  abstaining  from  the  use  of 
their  arms.  In  the  first  instance  I  had  been  influenc- 
ed by  the  desire  of  preventing  unnecessary  bloodshed, 
and  afterwards,  when  the  critical  situation  of  my 
party  might  have  well  warranted  me  in  employing 
more  decided  means  for  their  defence,  I  still  endeavor- 
ed to  temporize,  being  convinced  that  as  long  as  the 
boats  lay  aground,  and  we  were  beset  by  such  num- 
bers, armed  with  long  knives,  bows,  arrows,  and 
spears,  we  could  not  use  fire-arms  to  advantage.  The 
howling  of  the  women,  and  the  clamor  of  the  men, 
proved  the  high  excitement  to  which  they  had  wrought 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


425 


Jsired  Au- 

man  who 

prevented 

Bning,  and 
ontest  for 
nee  "which 
id  kettles, 
•es,  one  ot 
er  articles 
would,  in 
had  they 
)oats  were 
tge  Point, 
ohedience 
the  use  of 
1  influenc- 
)Ioodshed, 
•n   of  my 
smploying 
endeavor- 
ig  as  the 
ich  num- 
3ws,   and 
?e.     The 
;he  men, 
wrought 


themselves  ;  and  I  am  still  of  opinion  that,  mingled 
as  we  were  with  them,  the  first  blood  we  had  shed 
would  have  been  instantly  revenged  by  the  sacrifice  of 
all  our  lives. 

But  to  resume  the  narrative  of  the  voyage.  The 
breeze  became  moderate  and  fair  ;  the  sails  were  set, 
and  we  passed  along  the  coast  in  a  W.  N.  W.  direc- 
tion, until  eleven  in  the  evening,  when  we  halted  on 
a  low  island,  covered  with  drift  wood,  to  repair  the 
sails,  and  to  put  the  boats  in  proper  order  for  a  sea 
voyage.  The  continuance  and  increase  of  the  favor- 
able wind  urged  us  to  make  all  possible  despatch,  and 
^"g'jj^y  at  three  in  the  morning  of  the  9th  again  em- 
barking, we  kept  in  three  fathoms  waters  at  the  distance 
of  two  miles  from  the  land.  After  sailing  twelve 
miles,  our  progress  was  completely  stopped  by  the  ice 
adhering  to  the  shore,  and  stretching  beyond  the  lim- 
its of  our  view  to  seaward.  We  could  not  effect  a 
landing  until  we  had  gone  back  some  miles,  as  we  had 
passed  a  sheet  of  ice  which  was  fast  to  the  shore  ; 
but  at  length  a  convenient  spot  being  found,  the  boats 
were  hauled  up  on  the  beach.  We  quickly  ascended 
to  the  top  of  the  bank  to  look  around,  and  from  thence 
had  the  mortification  to  perceive  that  we  had  just  ar- 
rived in  time  to  witness  the  first  rupture  of  the  ice. 
The  only  lane  of  water  in  the  direction  of  our  course 
was  that  from  which  we  had  been  forced  to  retreat : 


426 


Thirty  Years 


in  every  other  part  the  sea  appeared  as  firmly  frozen 
as  in  winter  ;  and  even  close  to  our  encampment  the 
masses  of  ice  were  piled  up  to  the  height  of  thirty 
feet.  Discouraging  as  was  this  prospect,  we  had  the 
consolation  to  know  that  our  store  of  provision  was 
sufficiently  ample  to  allow  of  a  few  days'  detention. 

The  coast  in  this  part  consists  of  black  earth,  un- 
mixed with  stones  of  any  kind,  and  its  general  eleva- 
tion is  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet,  though  in  some 
places  it  swells  into  hills  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  A  level  plain,  abounding  in  small  lakes,  extends 
from  the  top  of  these  banks  to  the  base  of  a  line  of 
hills  which  lie  in  front  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The 
plain  was  clothed  with  grass  and  plants,  then  in  flower, 
specimens  of  which  were  collected.  We  recognized  in 
the  nearest  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  I 
have  named  after  my  much-esteemed  companion  Dr. 
Richardson,  the  Fitton  and  Cupola  Mountains,  which 
we  had  sjen  from  Garry  Island  at  the  distance  of 
sixty  miles.  Few  patches  of  snow  were  visible  on  any 
part  of  the  range. 

Having  obtained  observations  for  longitude  and  va- 
riation, we  retired  to  bed  about  eight  a.  m.,  but  had 
only  just  fallen  asleep  when  we  were  roused  by  the 
men  on  guard  calling  out  that  a  party  of  Esquimaux 
were  close  to  the  tents  ;  and,  on  going  out,  we  found 
the  whole  of  our  party  under  arms.     Three  Esqui- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


427 


maux  had  come  upon  us  unawares,  and  in  terror  at 
seeing  so  many  strangers,  they  were  on  the  point  of 
discharging  their  arrows,  when  Augustus's  voice  ar- 
rested them,  and  by  explaining  the  purpose  of  our 
arrival,  soon  calmed  their  fears.  Lieutenant  Back 
and  I  having  made  each  of  them  a  present,  and  re- 
ceived in  return  some  arrows,  a  very  amicable  confer- 
ence followed,  which  was  managed  by  Augustus  with 
equal  tact  and  judgment.  It  was  gratifying  to  ob- 
serve our  visitors  jumping  for  joy  as  he  pointed  out 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  an  intercourse  with 
the  white  people,  to  whom  they  were  now  introduced 
for  the  first  time.  We  found  that  they  belonged  to  a 
party  whose  tents  were  pitched  about  two  miles  from 
us  ;  and  as  they  were  very  desirous  that  their  friends 
might  also  enjoy  the  gratification  of  seeing  us,  they 
begged  that  Augustus  would  return  with  them  to  con- 
vey the  invitation  ;  which  request  was  granted  at  his 
desire. 

Before  their  departure,  marks  being  set  up  on  the 
beach  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  front  of  the  tent, 
and  twice  that  distance  from  the  boats,  they  were  in- 
formed that  this  was  the  nearest  approach  which  any 
of  their  party  would  be  permitted  to  make  ;  and  that 
at  this  boundary  only  would  gifts  be  made,  and  bar- 
ter carried  on.  Augustus  was  likewise  desired  to  ex- 
plain to  them  the  destructije  power  of  our  guns,  and 


428 


Thirty  Years 


to  assure  them  that  every  person  would  be  shot  who 
should  pass  the  prescribed  limit.  This  plan  was 
adopted  in  all  succeeding  interviews  with  the  Esqui- 
maux. After  five  hours'  absence  Augustus  returned, 
accompanied  by  twenty  men  and  two  elderly  women, 
who  halted  at  the  boundary.  They  had  come  without 
bows  or  arrows,  by  the  desire  of  Augustus,  and,  fol- 
lowing his  Instruction,  each  gave  Lieutenant  Back 
and  myself  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand.  We  made 
presents  to  every  one  of  beads,  fish-hooks,  awls,  and 
trinkets  ;  and  that  they  might  have  entire  confidence 
in  the  whole  party,  our  men  were  furnished  with  beads, 
to  present  to  them.  The  men  were  directed  to  advance 
singly,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  the  Es- 
quimaux from  counting  our  number,  unless  they  paid 
the  greatest  attention,  which  they  were  not  likely  to 
do  while  their  minds  were  occupied  by  a  succession  of 
novelties. 

Our  visitors  were  F^on  quite  at  ease,  and  we  were 
preparing  to  question  them  respecting  the  coast,  and 
the  time  of  removal  of  the  ice,  when  Augustus  begged 
that  he  might  put  on  his  gayest  dress,  and  his  medals, 
before  the  conference  began.  This  was  the  work  of  a 
few  seconds  ;  but  when  he  returned,  surprise  and  de- 
light at  his  altered  appearance,  and  numerous  orna- 
ments so  engaged  their  minds,  that  their  attention 
could  not  be  drawn  to  any  other  subject  for  the  next 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


429 


half  hour.     "  Ah,"  said  an  old  man,   taking  up  his 
medals,  "  these  must  have  been  made  by  such  people 
as  you  have  been  describing,  for  none  that  we  have 
seen  could  do  any  thing  like  it ;"  then  taking  hold  of 
his  coat,  he  asked,  "  what  kind  of  animal  do   these 
skins  which  you   and  the  chiefs  wear  belong  to  ? 
We  have  none  such  in  our  country."     The  anchor 
buttons  also  excited  their  admiration.      At  length  we 
managed  to  gain  their  attention,  and  were  informed 
that,  as  soon  as  the  wind  should  blow  strong  from  the 
land,  the  ice  might  be  expected  to  remove  from  the 
shore,  so  as  to  open  a  passage  for  boats,  and  that  it 
would  remain  in  the  offing  until  the  reappearance  of 
the  stars.      *'  Further  to  the  westward,"  they  con- 
tinued, "  the  ice  often  adheres  to  the  land  throughout  I 
the  summer  ;  and  when  it  does  break  away,  it  is  car- 
ried but  a  short  distance  to  seaward,  and  is  brought  back 
whenever  a  strong  wind  blows  on  the  coast.     If  there 
be  any  channels  in  those  parts,  they  are  unsafe  for 
boats,  as  the  ice  is  continually  tossing  about.     We 
wonder,  therefore,"  they  said,  "  that  you  are  not  pro- 
vided with  sledges  and  dogs,  as  our  men  are,  to  travel 
along    the    land,    when   these   interruptions   occur." 
They  concluded  by  warning  us  not  to  stay  to  the 
westward  after  the  stars  could  be  seen,  because  the 
winds  would  then  blow  strong  from  the  sea,  and  pack 
the  ice  on  the  shore.      On  further  inquiry  we  learned 


430 


Thirty  Tears 


that  this  party  is  usually  employed,  daring  the  sum- 
mer,  in  catching  whales  and  seals,  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Mackenzie,  and  that  they  seldom  travel  to  the 
westward  beyond  a  few  days'  journey.  We  were, 
therefore,  not  much  distressed  by  intelligence  which 
we  supposed  might  have  originated  in  exaggerated 
accounts  received  from  others.  In  the  evening  Au- 
gustus returned  with  them  to  their  tents,  and  two  of 
the  men  undertook  to  fetch  a  specimen  of  the  rock 
from  Mount  Ficton,  which  was  distant  about  twenty 
miles. 

The  party  assembled  at  divine  service  in  the  even- 
ing. The  wind  blew  in  violent  squalls  during  the 
night,  which  brought  such  a  heavy  swell  upon  the  ice, 
that  the  larger  masses  near  the  encampment  were 
broken  before  the  morning  of  the  10th,  but  there  was 
no  change  in  the  main  body. 

^loth^'  ^^®  Esquimaux  revisited  ua  in  the  morning, 
with  their  women  and  children  ;  the  party  consisted 
of  forty-eight  persons.  They  seated  themselves  as  be- 
fore, in  a  semicircle,  the  men  being  in  front,  and  the 
women  behind.  Presents  were  made  to  those  who 
had  not  before  received  any  ;  and  we  afterwards  pur- 
chased several  pairs  of  seal-skin  boots,  a  few  pieces  of 
dressei  seal-skin,  and  some  deer-skin  cut  and  twisted, 
to  be  used  as  cords.  Beads,  pins,  needles  and  orna- 
mental articles,  were  most  in  request  by  the  women, 


mutt 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


431 


to  whom  the  goods  principally  belonged,  but  the  men 
were  eager  to  get  any  thing  that  was  made  of  iron. 
They  were  supplied  with  hatchets,  files,  ice  chisels, 
fire-steels,  Indian  awls,  and  fish-hooks.  They  were 
very  anxious  to  procure  knives,  but.  as  each  was  in  pos- 
session of  one,  I  reserved  the  few  which  we  had  for 
another  occasion.  The  quarter  from  whence  these 
knives  were  obtained,  will  appear  in  a  subsequent  part 
of  the  narrative.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  purposes 
to  which  they  applied  the  different  articles  given  to 
them  ;  some  of  the  men  danced  about  with  a  large 
cod-fish  hook  dangling  from  the  nose,  others  stuck  an 
awl  through  the  same  part,  and  the  women  immedi- 
ately decorated  their  dresses  with  the  ear-rings,  thim- 
bles, or  whatever  trinkets  they  received.  There  was 
in  the  party  a  great  proportion  of  elderly  persons,  who 
appeared  in  excellent  health,  and  were  very  active. 
The  men  were  stout  and  robust,  and  taller  than  Au- 
gustus, or  than  those  seen  on  the  east  coast  by  Cap- 
tain Parry.  Their  cheek-bones  were  less  projecting 
than  the  representations  given  of  the  Esquimaux  on 
the  eastern  coast,  but  they  had  the  small  eye,  and 
broad  nose,  which  ever  distinguish  that  people.  Ex- 
cept the  yonng  persons,  the  whole  party  were  afflicted 
with  sore  eyes,  arising  from  exposure  to  the  glare  of 
ice  and  snow,  and  two  of  the  old  men  were  nearly 
blind.    They  wore  the  hair  on  the  upper  lip  and  chin  ; 


432 


Thirty  Years 


the  latter,  as  well  as  that  on  their  head,  being  per- 
mitted to  grow  long,  though  in  some  cases  a  circular 
spot  on  the  crown  of  the  head  was  cut  bare,  like  the 
tonsure  of  the  Boman  catholic  clergy.  Every  man 
had  pieces  of  bone  or  shells  thrust  through  the  sep- 
tum of  his  nose  ;  and  holes  were  pierced  on  each  side 
of  the  under  lip,  in  which  were  placed  circular  pieces 
of  ivory,  with  a  large  blue  bead  in  the  centre,  similar 
to  those  represented  in  the  drawings  of  the  natives  on 
the  N.W.  coast  of  America,  in  Kotzebue's  Voyage. 
These  ornaments  were  so  much  valued,  that  they  de- 
clined selling  them  ;  and  when  not  rich  enough  to  pro- 
cure beads  or  ivory,  stones  and  pieces  of  bone  were 
substituted.  These  perforations  are  made  at  the  age 
of  puberty  ;  and  one  of  the  party,  who  appeared  to  be 
about  fourteen  years  old,  was  pointed  out,  with  de- 
light, by  his  parents,  as  having  to  undergo  the  opera- 
tion in  the  following  year.  He  was  a  good-looking 
boy,  and  we  could  not  fancy  his  countenance  would 
be  much  improved  by  the  insertion  of  the  bones  or 
stones,  which  have  the  effect  of  depressing  the  under 
lip,  and  keeping  the  mou«<h  open. 

Their  dress  consisted  of  a  jacket  of  rein-deer  skin, 
with  a  skirt  behind  and  before,  and  a  small  hood ; 
breeches  of  the  same  material,  and  boots  of  seal-skin. 
Their  weapons  for  the  chase  were  bows  and  arrows, 
Tery  neatly  made  ;  the  latter  being  headed  with  bone 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona, 


433 


or  iron  ;  and  for  fishino^,  spears  tipped  with  bone. 
They  also  catch  fish  with  nets  and  lines.  All  were 
armed  with  knives,  which  they  either  keep  in  their 
hand,  or  thrust  up  the  sleeve  of  their  shirt.  They 
had  received  from  the  Loucheux  Indians  some  account 
of  the  destructive  eflPects  of  guns.  The  dress  of  the 
women  differed  from  that  of  the  men  only  in  their 
wearing  wide  trowsers,  and  in  the  size  of  their  hoods, 
which  do  not  fit  close  to  the  head,  but  are  made  large, 
for  the  purpose  of  receiving  their  children.  These 
are  ornamented  with  stripes  of  different  colored  skins, 
and  round  the  top  is  fastened  a  band  of  wolfs  hair, 
made  to  stand  erect.  Their  own  blac^  hair  is  very 
tastefully  turned  up  from  behind  to  the  top  of  the 
head,  and  tied  by  strings  of  white  and  blue  beads,  or 
cords  of  white  deerskin.  It  is  divided  in  front,  so  as 
to  form  on  each  side  a  thick  tail,  to  which  are  append- 
ed strings  of  beads  that  reach  to  the  waist.  The 
women  were  from  four  feet  and  a  half  to  four  and 
three-quarters  high,  and  generally  fat.  Some  of  the 
younger  ftmales,  and  the  children,  were  pretty.  The 
lady  whose  portrait  adorns  this  work,  was  mightily 
pleased  at  being  selected  by  Lieutenant  Back  for  his 
sketch,  and  testified  her  joy  by  smiles  and  many  jumps. 
The  men,  when  sitting  for  their  portraits,  were  more 
sedate,  though  not  less  pleased,  than  the  females  ; 
some  of  them  remarked  that  they  were  not  handsome 


19 


434 


TJiirty  Years 


enough  to  be  taken  to  our  country,  It  will  be  seen 
from  the  engraving,  that  one  of  the  men  had  a  differ- 
ent cast  of  countenance  from  the  rest ;  we  supposed 
him  to  be  descended  from  the  Indians. 

It  would  appear  that  the  walrus  does  not  visit  this 
part  of  the  coast,  as  none  of  these  people  recognized  a 
sketch  of  one,  which  Lieutenant  Back  drew ;  but 
they  at  once  knew  the  seal  and  reindeer.  We  learned 
that -the  polar  bear  is  seldom  seen,  and  only  in  the 
autumn  ;  and  likewise  that  there  are  very  few  of  the 
brown  bears,  which  we  frequently  saw  on  the  coast 
eastward  of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  We  had  already 
seen  a  few  white  whales,  and  we  understood  that  they 
would  resort  to  this  part  of  the  coast  in  greater  num- 
bers with  the  following  moon. 

Who-  habits  of  these  people  were  similar,  in  every 
respect,,  to  those  of  the  tribes  described  by  Captain 
Parry,  and  their  dialect  differed  so  little  from  that 
used  by  Augustus,  that  he  had  no  difficulty  in  under- 
standing them.  He  was,  therefore,  able  to  give  them 
full  particulars  relative  to  the  attack  mad©  by  the 
other  party,  and  they  expressed  themselves  much  hurt 
at  their  treacherous  conduct.  "  Those  are  bad  men," 
they  said,  "  and  never  fail  either  to  quarrel  with  us, 
or  steal  from  us,  when  we  meet.  They  come,  every 
spring,  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  Mackenzie,  to  fish 
at  the  place  where  you  saw  them,  and  return  as  soon 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


435 


7* 


bOOU 


as  the  ice  opens;  They  are  distinguished  from  us, 
who  live  to  the  westward  of  the  river,  by  the  men 
being  tattoed  across  the  face.  Among  our  tribes  the 
women  only  are  tattoed  ;"  having  five  or  six  blue  lines 
drawn  perpendicularly  from  the  under  lip  to  the  chin. 
The  speaker  added,  "  If  you  are  obliged  to  return  by 
this  way,  before  these  people  remove,  we,  with  a  re- 
inforcement of  young  men,  will  be  in  the  vicinity,  and 
will  willingly  accompany  you  to  assist  in  repelling  any 
attack."  Augustus  returned  with  the  Esquimaux  to 
their  tents,  as  there  was  not  the  least  prospect  pf  our 
getting  forward,  though  the  ice  was  somewhat  broken. 
Tuesday,    ^  stroug  brccze  from  the  westward  during 

the  night,  contributed,  with  the  swell,  to  the  further 
reduction  of  the  ice,  in  front  of  the  encampment ;  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  11th,  the  wind  changed  to  the 
eastward,  and  removed  the  pieces  a  little  way  offshore, 
though  they  were  tossing  too  violently  for  the  boats 
to  proceed.  The  swell  having  subsided  in  the  after- 
noon, we  embarked  ;  but  at  the  end  of  a  mile  and  a 
half  were  forced  to  land  again,  from  the  ice  being  fixed 
to  the  shore  ;  and  as  the  wind  had  now  become  strong, 
and  was  driving  the  loose  pieces  on  the  land  the  boats 
were  unloaded  and  landed  on  the  beach.  From  the 
summit  of  an  adjoining  hill  we  perceived  an  unbroken 
field  of  ice  to  the  west,  and  consequently,  a  barrier  to 
our  progress. 


e 


■». 


436 


Thirty   Tears 


*  We  encamped  on  the  spot  which  our  Esquiniaiix 
friends  had  left  in  the  morning,  to  remove  in  their 
oomiaks  and  kaiyacks  towards  the  Mackenzie,  where 
they  could  set  their  fishing  nets,  and  catch  whales  and 
seals.  One  of  them  showed  his  honesty,  by  returning 
some  arrows,  and  a  piece  of  a  pemmican  bag,  that  we 
had  left  at  our  last  resting-place.  The  men  also 
joined  us  here  with  specimens  of  rock  from  Mount 
Fitton. 

The  Esquimaux  winter  residences  at  this  spot  were 
constructed  of  drift  timber,  with  the  roots  of  the 
trees  upwards,  and  contained  from  one  to  three  small 
apartments,  beside  a  cellar  for  their  stores.  There 
were  generally  two  entrances,  north  and  south,  so  low 
as  to  make  it  necessary  to  crawl  through  them.  The 
only  other  aperture  was  a  hole  at  the  top  for  the 
smoke,  which,  as  well  as  the  doorways,  could  be  filled 
up  with  a  block  of  snow  at  pleasure.  When  covered 
with  snow,  and  with  lamps  or  fire  burning  within, 
these  habitations  must  be  extremely  warm,  though  to 
our  ideas  rather  comfortless.  Lofty  stages  were  erect- 
ed near  them  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  their  canoes 
and  bulky  articles.  The  annexed  engraving  from 
Lieutenant  Back's  sketch  of  these  habitations,  ren- 
ders further  description  unnecessary..  A  north-east 
gale  came  on  in  the  evening,  and  rolled  such  a  heavy 
Burf  on  the  beach,  that  twice,  during  the  night,  we 


In  the  Arctic  Hegtons. 


437 


ix. 
lir 

re 
Id 

r 

r 

BO 

It 


were  obliged  to  drag  the  boats  and  cargoes  higher  up. 
£^^  About  three  the  next  morniog  a  heavy  rain 
commenced,  and  continued,  without  intermission, 
through  the  day  ;  at  which  we  were  delighted,  how- 
ever comfortless  it  made  our  situation,  because  we 
saw  the  ice  gradually  loosening  from  the  land  under 
its  effects.  We  found  the  keeping  a  tide-pole  fixed 
in  the  loose  gravel  beach  impracticable  here,  as  well 
as  at  the  last  resting-place,  on  account  of  the  swell. 
It  appeared  to  be  high  water  this  morning  at  half 
past  one  a.  m.,  and  that  the  rise  of  tide  was  about 
two  feet.  I  need  hardly  observe  that  we  had  the  sun 
constantly  above  the  horizon,  were  it  not  for  the  pur- 
pose of  mentioning  the  amusing  mistakes  which  the 
men  made  as  to  the  hour.  In  fact,  when  not  employ- 
ed, a  question  as  to  the  time  of  day  never  failed  to 
puzzle  them,  except  about  midnight,  when  the  sun 
was  near  the  northern  horizon. 

Lieutenant  Back  missing  the  protractor  which  he 
used  for  laying  down  his  bearings  on  the  map,  Augus- 
tus set  off  in  the  rain  early  this  forenoon  to  recover 
it  from  an  Esquimaux  woman,  whom  he  had  seen  pick 
it  up.  The  rain  ceased  in  the  afternoon,  the  wind 
gradually  abated,  and  by  eight  in  the  evening  it  was 
calm.  A  south  wind  followed,  which  opened  a  pas- 
sage for  the  boat,  but  Augustus  was  not  in  sight.  At 
midnight  we  became  greatly  alarmed  for  his  safety, 


438 


Thirty  Years 


having  now  found  that  he  had  taken  his  gun,  which 
we  supposed  the  natives  might  have  endeavored  to 
wrest  from  him,  and  we  were  on  the  point  of  despatch- 
ing a  party  in  search  of  him,  when  he  arrived  at  four 
^laSi!"  io  *^6  mominw  of  the  13th  much  fatigued,  ac- 
companied by  three  of  .the  natives.  His  journey  had 
been  lengthened  by  the  Esquimaux  having  gone  far- 
ther to  the  eastward  than  he  had  expected,  but  he  had 
recovered  the  protractor,  which  had  been  kept  in  their 


ignorance  of  its  utility  to  us..  His  companions 
brought  five  white  fish,  and  some  specimens  of  crystal 
with  other  stones,  from  the  mountains,  which  we  pur- 
chased, and  further  rewarded  them  for  their  kindness 
in  not  allowing  Augustus  to  return  alone. 

The  boats  were  immediately  launched,  and  having 
pulled  a  short  distance  from  the  land,  we  set  the  sails, 
our  course  being  directed  to  the  outer  point  in  view, 
to  avoid  the  sinuosities  of  the  coast.  We  passed  a 
wide,  though  not  deep  bay,  whose  points  were  named 
after  my  friends  Captains  Sabine  and  P.  P.  King  ; 
and  we  were  drawing  near  the  next  projection,  when  a 
compact  body  of  ice  was  discovered,  which  was  joined 
to  the  land  ahead.  At  the  same  time  a  dense  fo<; 
came  on,  that  confined  our  view  to  a  few  yards  ;  it 
was  accompanied  by  a  gale  from  the  land,  and  heavy 
rain.  We  had  still  hopes  of  getting  round  the  point, 
and   approached  the  shore  in  that  expectation,  but 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


489 


found  the  ice  so  closely  packed  that  we  could  neither 
advknce  nor  effect  a  landing.  We,  therefore,  pulled 
to  seaward,  and  turned  the  boat's  head  to  the  eas In- 
ward, to  trace  the  outer  border  of  the  ice.  In  this 
situation  we  were  exposed  to  great  danger  from  the 
sudden  change  of  wind  to  S  E.,  which  raised  a  heavy 
swell,  and  brought  down  upon  us  masses  of  ice  of  a 
size  that,  tossed  as  they  were  by  the  waves,  would 
have  injured  a  ship.  We  could  only  catch  occasional 
glimpses  of  the  land  through  the  fog,  and  were  kept 
in  the  most  anxious  suspense,  pulling  in  and  out  be- 
tween the  floating  masses  of  ice,  for  five  hours,  before 
we  couJd  get  near  the  shore.  We  landed  a  little  to 
the  west  of  Point  Sabine,  and  only  found  sufli- 
cient  space  for  the  boats  and  tents  between  t^e 
bank  and  the  water.  The  rain  ceased  for  a  sHdk 
time  in  the  evening,  and,  during  this  interval^'W^^g^- 
ceived,  from  the  top  of  the  bank,  that  the  whole  spU'de 
between  us  and  the  distant  point,  as  wena;s  the  chan- 
nel by  which  we  had  advanced  to  the  westward,  wefe 
now  completely  blocked  ;  so  that  we  had  good  reason 
to  congratulate  ourselves  on  havin«;  reached  the  shore 
in  safety. 


'»  .    .  •  » 


'-'tix-i 


440 


Thirty  Tears 


CHAPTER  XVI 


Juij  wit.  Althouoh  it  rained  heavily  during  the  night, 
and  the  wind  blew  strong  o(F  the  land  for  some  hours, 
there  was  ho  other  change  in  the  state  of  the  ice  on 
the  morning  of  the  14th,  than  that  the  smaller  pieces 
were  driven  a  short  way  from  the  beach.  The  day 
was  foggy  and  rainy,  but  the  evening  fine.  The  bank 
under  whioh  we  were  encamped  is  of  the  same  earthy 
kind  as  that  described  on  the  Pth,  but  rather  higher 
and  steeper.  It  contains  much  wood-coal,  similar  to 
that  found  in  the  Mackenzie  River,  and  at  Garry's  Is- 
land. The  beach  and  the  beds  of  the  rivulets  that 
flow  through  the  ravines,  consist  of  coarse  gravel. 
Specimens  of  its  stones,  of  the  coal,  and  of  the  plants 
in  flower,  were  added  to  the  collection.  We  saw  two 
marmots,  and  two  reindeer,  which  were  too  wary  to 
allow  of  our  getting  within  shot  of  them.  Between 
noon  and  ten  p.m.,  the  loose  ice  was  driving  in  front  of 
the  encampment  from  the  N.W.  to  S.E.,  and  at  tho 


In  the  Afctio  Itcgtona, 


441 


latter  hour  it  stojjpcd.  We  could  not  detect  any  dif- 
ference in  the  height  of  the  water,  and  there  was  a 
culm  the  whole  time.  A  light  breeze  from  S.E.  after 
midnight,  brought  the  masses  close  to  the  beach.  On 
the  morning  of  the  15th,  having  perceived  that  the 
ice  was  loosened  from  the  land  near  the  outer  point,  to 
which  I  have  given  the  name  of.  Kay,  after  some 
much-esteemed  relatives,  we  embarked,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours  succeeded  in  reaching  it,  by 
passing  between  the  grounded  masses  of  ice.  On 
landing  at  Point  Kay,  we  observed  that  our  progress 
must  again  be  stopped  by  a  compact  body  of  ice  that 
was  fast  to  the  shore  of  a  deep  bay,  and  extended  to 
our  utmost  view  seaward  ;  and  that  we  could  not  ad- 
vance farther  than  the  mouth  of  a  river,  which  dis- 
charged its  waters  just  round  the  point.  The  boats 
were,  therefore,  pulled  to  its  entrance,  and  we  en- 
camped. Former  checks  had  taught  us  to  be  patient, 
and  we,  therefore,  commenced  such  employments  as 
would  best  serve  to  beguile  the  time,  consoling  our- 
Belves  with  the  hope  that  a  strong  breeze  would  soon 
spring  up  from  the  land  and  open  a  passage.  Astro- 
nomical observations  were  obtained,  the  map  carried 
on,  and  Lieutenant  Back  sketched  the  beautiful  scen- 
ery afforded  by  a  view  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  while 
I  was  employed  in  collecting  specimens  of  the  plants 
in  flower.    The  men  amused  themselves  in  various 


442 


Tliirty  Years 


i 


"wnys,  aud  Augustus  went  to  visit  an  Esquimaux 
family  that  were  on  an  island  contiguous  to  our  en- 
campment. ^ 

We  now  discovered  that  the  Rocky  Mountains  do 
not  form  a  continuous  chain,  but  that  they  run  in  de- 
tached ranges  at  unequal  distances  from  the  coast. 
The  Bichardson  chain  commencing  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Mackenzie,  terminates  within  view  of  our  pres- 
ent situation.  Another  range,  which  I  have  named 
in  honor  of  Professor  Buckland,  begins  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  Phillips  Bay,  and  extending  to  the  bound- 
ary of  our  view,  is  terminated  by  the  Conybeare 
Mountain. 

It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  affix  the  name  of  my 
friend  Mr.  Babbage  to  the  river  we  had  discovered, 
and  that  of  Mr.  Phillips,  Professor  of  Painting  at  the 
Royal  Academy,  to  the  bay  into  which  its  waters  are 
emptied.  We  learned  from  the  Esquimaux  that  this 
river,  which  they  call  Codk-Keaktok,  or  Rocky  River, 
descends  from  a  very  distant  part  of  the  interior, 
though  they  are  unacquainted  with  its  course  beyond 
the  mountains.  It  appeared  to  us  to  flow  between 
the  Cupola  and  Barn  mountains  of  the  Richardson 
chain.  There  are  many  banks  of  gravel  near  its 
mouth,  but  above  these  obstructions  the  channel  ap- 
peared deep,  and  to  be  about  two  miles  broad.  There 
were  no  rocks  in  sitin,  or  large  stonep,  near  the  en- 


In  the  Arctic  litgions. 


443 


campment  ;   the  rolled  -pebbles  on  tbe  beach  v/frte 
sandstone  of  red  and  light-brown  colors;  greenstone, 
and  slaty  limestone.     We  gathered  a  fih^  specimen 
*  of  tertiary  pitch-coal. 

Augustus  returned  in  the  evening  with  a  young 
Esquimaux  and  his  wife,  the  only  residents  at  the 
house  he  had  visited.  They  had  now  quite  recovered 
the  panic  into  which  they  had  been  thrown  on  our 
first  appearance,  which  was  heightened  by  their  being 
unable  to  escape  from  us  owing  to  the  want  bf  a  canoe. 
We  made  them  happy  by  purchasing  the  fish  they 
brought,  and  giving  them  a  few  presents  ;  they  con- 
tinued to  skip  and  laugh  as  long  as  they  staid.  The 
man  informed  us  that  judging  from  the  rapid  decay 
of  the  ice  in  the  few  pre<ifeding  days,  we  might  soon 
expect  it  to  break  from  the  land,  so  as  to  allow  of 
our  reaching  Herschel  Island,  which  was  in  view  ;  but 
he  represented  the  coast  to  the  westward  of  the  island 
as  being  low,  and  so  generally  beset  with  ice,  that  he 
was  of  opinion  we  should  have  great  difficulty  in  get- 
ting along.  This  couple  had  been  left  here  to  collect 
fish  for  the  use  of  their  companions,  who  were  to  re- 
join them  for  the  purpose  of  killing  whales,  as  soon 
as  the  ice  should  break  up ;  and  they  told  us  the 
black  whales  would  soon  come  after  its  rupture  took 
place.  It  would  be  interesting  to  ascertain  where 
the  whales  retire  in  the  winter,  as  they,  reqtiire  to  in- 


444 


Thirty  Years 


hale  the  air  frequently.     Those  of  the  white  kind 

make  their  appearance  when  there  are  hut  small  spaces 
of  open  water ;  and  we  afterwards  saw  two  hlack 

whales  in  a  similar  situation.  One  might  also  infer 
from  these  circumstances  that  they  do  not  remove  very 
far.  Is  it  probahle  that  they  go,  at  the  close  of  the 
autumn,  to  a  warmer  climate  ?  or  can  the  sea  be  less 
closely  covered  with  ice  in  the  high  northern  latitudes  ? 
The  situation  of  our  encampment  was  observed  to  be, 
latitude  69^*  19'  N.  ;  longitude  138^  lOJ'  W. ;  varia- 
tion 46^  16'  E. ;  and  a  rise  and  fall  of  nine  inches  in 
the  water.  The  wind  blew  from  the  west  during  the 
night,  and  drove  much  ice  near  the  boats ;  but  as  the 
masses  tock  ground  a  little  way  from  the  shore,  we 
were  spared  the  trouble  of  removing  the  boats  higher 
Up  the  beach. 

^  Mth.^'  ^^®  ^^^^  favored  in  the  forenoon  of  the  16th, 
by  a  strong  breeze  from  the  land,  which,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  hours,  drove  away  many  of  these  pieces  to- 
wards Point  Kay,  and  opened  a  passage  for  boats. 
We  immediately  embarked  to  sail  over  to  the  western 
Bide  of  Phillips  Bay,  concluding,  from  the  motion  of 
the  ice,  that  it  must  now  be  detached  from  that  shore. 
On  reaching  it,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  an  open 
channel  close  to  the  beach,  although  the  entrance  was 
barred  by  a  stream  of  ice  lying  aground  on  a  reef 
The  boats  being  forced  by  poles  over  this  obstruction^ 


w< 

be 
p« 
t( 
tl 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


445 


we  stood  under  sail  along  the  coast  to  about  five  miles 
beyond  Point  Stokes  ;  but  there  we  were  again  com- 
pelled by  the  closeness  of  the  ice  to  stop,  and  from  the 
top  of  a  sand-hill  we  could  not  discover  any  water  in 
the  direction  of  our  (Sourse.  The  tents  were  therefore 
pitched,  and  the  boats  unloaded,  and  hauled  on  the 
beach.  Heavy  rain  came  on  in  the  evening,  by  which 
we  indulged  the  hope  that  the  ice  might  be  loosened. 
We  were  encamped  on  a  low  bank  of  gravel  which 
runs  along  the  base  of  a  chain  of  sand-hills  about  one 
hundr  d  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  forms  the  coast  line. 
The  buak  was  covered  with  drift  timber,  and  is  the 
site  of  a  deserted  Esquimaux  village.  The  snow  still 
remaining  in  the  ravines  was  tinged  with  light  red 
spots.  The  night  was  calm,  and  the  ice  remained  in 
the  same  fixed  state  until  six  in  the  morning  of  the 
17th,  when,  perceiving  the  pieces  in  the  offing  to  be 
in  motion  we  launched  the  boats,  and  by  breaking  our 
way  at  first  with  hatchets,  and  then  forcing  with  the 
poles  through  other  streams  of  ice,  we  contrived  to 
reach  some  lanes  of  water,  along  which  we  navigated 
for  four  hours.  A  strong  breeze  springing  up  from 
seaward,  caused  the  ice  to  close  so  fast  upon  the  boat, 
that  we  were  obliged  to  put  again  to  the  shore,  and 
land  on  a  low  bank,  similar  to  that  on  which  we  had 
rested  the  night  before.  It  was  intersected,  however, 
by  many  pools  and  channels  of  water,  which  cut  ol! 


446 


Thirty  Years 


our  commuDication  with  the  land.     As  we  could  not 
obtain,  from  our  present  station,  any  satisfactory  view 
of  the  state  of  the  ice  to  the  westward,  I  despatched 
Duncan  and  Augustus  to  take  a  survey  of  it  from 
Point  Catton,  while  Lieutenant  Back  and  I  made 
some  astronomical  observations.     They  returned  after 
an  absence  of  two  hours,  and  reported  that  there  was 
water  near  Herschel  Island,  and  a  channel   in  the 
offing  that  appeared  to  lead  to  it.     We,  therefore, 
embarked ;  and  by  pushing   the  boats  between  thd 
masses  that  lay  aground,  for  some  distance,  we  suc^ 
ceeded  in  reaching  open  water  at  the  entrance  of  the 
strait  which  lies  between  the  island  and  the  main,  and 
through  which  the  loose  pieces  of  ice  were  driving  fast 
to  the  westward.     Having  now  the  benefit  of  a  strong 
favorable  breeze,  we  were  enabled  to  keep  clear  of 
them,  and  made  good  progress.     Arriving  opposite 
the  S.  E.  end  of  Herschel  Island,  we  perceived  a  large 
herd  of  reindeer  just  taking  the  water,  and  on  ap- 
proaching the  shore  to  get  within  shot,  discovered 
three  Esquimaux  in  pursuit.    These  men  stood  gazing 
at  the  boats  for  some  minutes,  and  after  a  short  con- 
sultation,  we  observed  them  to  change  the  heads  of 
their  arrows,  and   prepare  'their  bows.      They  then 
walked  along  the  south  shore,  parallel  to  our  course, 
for  the  purpose,  as  we  soon  found,  of  rejoining  their 
wives.     We  reached  the  place  at   which  the  ladies 


In  the  Arctic  Regions 


447 


were  before  them,  and  though  invited  to  land,  we  were 
not  able,  on  account  of  the  surf.  Augustus  was 
desirfed  to  assure  them  of  our  friendship,  and  of  our 
intention  to  stop  at  the  first  sheltered  spot,  to  which 
they  and  their  husbands  might  come  to  receive  a  pre- 
sent. More  than  this  our  little  friend  could  not  be 
prevailed  upon  to  communicate,  because  they  were 
"  old  wives  ;"  and  it  was  evident  that  he  considered 
any  further  conversation  with  women  to  be  beneath 
his  dignity.  On  passing  round  the  point  we  discovered 
that  the  ice  was  closely  packed  to  leeward,  and  such 
a  heavy  swell  setting  upon  it,  that  it  was  unsafe  to 
proceed.  We,  therefore,  encamped,  and  Augustus 
set  off  immediately  to  introduce  himself  to  the  Esqui- 
maux. The  tents  were  scarcely  pitched,  and  the 
sentinels  placed,  before  he  returned,  accompanied  by 
twelve  men  and  women,  each  bringing  a  piece  of  dried 
meat,  or  fish,  to  present  to  us.  We  learned  from 
them  that  the  boats,  when  af''«  distance,  had  been 
taken  for  pieces  of  ice  ;  but  *when  we  drew  near 
enough  for  them  to  distinguish  the  crews,  and  they 
perceived  them  clothed  differently  from  any  men  they 
had  seen,  they  became  alarmed,  and  made  ready  their 
arrows,  as  we  had  observed.  On  receiving  some  pre- 
sents, they  raised  a  loud  halloo,  which  brought  five  or 
six  others  from  an  adjoining  island,  and  in  the  evening 
there  was  a  further  addition  to  the  party  of  some 


448 


Thirty  Yeura 


young  men,  who  had  been  hunting,  and  who  after- 
wards sent  their  wives  to  bring  us  a  part  of  the  spoils 
of  their  chase.  They  remained  near  the  tents  the 
greater  part  of  the  night,  and  testified  their  delight  by 
dancing  and  singing.  An  old  woman,  whose  hair  was 
silvered  by  age,  made  a  prominent  figure  in  these 
exhibitions. 

The  information  we  obtained  from  them  confirmed 
that  which  we  had  received  from  the  last  party,  name- 
ly, that  they  procure  the  iron,  knives,  and  beads, 
^l^l^^^  through  two  channels,  but  principally  from  a 
party  of  Esquimaux  who  reside  a  great  distance  to 
the  westward,  and  to  meet  whom  they  send  their 
young  men  every  spring  with  furs,  seal-skins,  and  oil, 
to  exchange  for  those  articles  ;  and  also  from  the  In- 
dians who  come  every  year  from  the  interior  to  trade 
with  them  by  a  river  that  was  directly  opposite  our 
encampment ;  which  I  have,  therefore,  named  the 
Mountain  Indian  River.  These  Indians  leave  their 
families  and  canoes  at  two  days'  march  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  the  men  come  alone,  bringing  no 
more  goods  than  they  intend  to  barter.  They  were 
represented  to  be  tall  stout  men,  clothed  in  deer-skins, 
and  speaking  a  language  very  dissimilar  to  their  own. 
They  also  said  that  the  Esquimaux  to  the  westward, 
speak  a  dialect  so  different  from  theirs,  that  at  the 
first  opening  of  the  communication,  whi  ;h  was  so  re- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


449 


cent  as  to  be  within  the  memory  of  two  of  our  present 
companions,  they  had  great  difficulty  in  understanding 
them.  Several  quarrels  took  place  at  their  first  meet- 
ings, in  consequence  of  the  western  party  attempting 
to  steal ;  but  latterly  there  has  been  a  good  under- 
standing between  them,  and  the  exchanges  have  been 
fairly  made. 

Our  visitors  did  not  know  from  what  people  either 
the  Indians  or  the  Esquimaux  obtained  the  goods, 
but  they  supposed  from  some  "  Kabloonacht,"  (white 
people,)  who  reside  far  to  the  west.  As  the  articles 
we  saw  were  not  of  British  manufacture,  and  were 
very  unlike  those  sold  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
to  the  Indians,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  they  are 
furnished  by  the  Russian  Fur  Traders,  who  receive  in 
return  for  them  all  the  furs  collected  on  this  northern 
coast.  Part  of  the  Russian  iron-work  is  conveyed  to 
the  Esquimaux  dwelling  on  the  coast  east  of  the 
Mackenzie.  The  western  Esquimaux  use  tobacco, 
and  some  of  our  visitors  had  smoked  it,  but  thought 
the  flavor  very  disagreeable.  Until  I  was  aware  of 
their  being  acquainted  with  the  use  of  it,  I  prohibited 
my  men  from  smoking  in  their  presence,  and  after- 
wards from  offering  their  pipes  to  the  Esquimaux  at 
any  time.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  conference,  our 
visitors  assured  us,  that  having  now  become  acquaint- 
ed with  white  people,  and  being  conscious  that  the 


i§- 


4S0 


Thirty  Years 


trade  with  them  would  be  beneficial,  they  would  gladly 
encourage  a  further  intercourse,  and  do  all  in  their 
power  to  prevent  future  visitors  from  having  such  a 
reception  as  we  had  on  our  arrival  in  these  seas.  We 
learned  that  this  island,  which  has  been  distinguished 
by  the  pame  of  Herschel,  is  much  frequented  by  the 
natives  at  this  season  of  the  year,  as  it  abounds  with 
deer,  and  its  surrounding  waters  afford  plenty  of  fish. 
It  is  composed  of  black  earth,  rises,  in  its  highest 
point,  to  about  one  hundred  feet,  and  at  the  time  of 
our  visit  was  covered  with  verdure.  The  straight  be- 
tween it  and  the  main  ehore,  is  the  only  place  that 
we  had  seen,  since  quitting  the  Mackenzie,  in  which  a 
ship  could  find  shelter ;  but  even  this  channel  is  much 
interrupted  by  shoals. 

^ilth!*^  On  the  morning  of  the  18th  the  fog  was  so 
thick  that  we  could  not  see  beyond  the  beach.  It 
dispersed  about  noon,  and  we  discovered  that  there 
was  a  channel  of  open  water  near  the  main  sliore, 
though  in  the  centre  of  the  strait  the  ice  was  heavy, 
and  driving  rapidly  to  the  north-west.  We  embarked 
at  once,  in  the  expectation  of  being  able  to  penetrate 
between  the  drift  ice  and  the  land,  but  the  attempt 
was  frustrated  by  the  shallowness  of  the  water ;  and 
the  fog  again  spreading  as  thick  as  before,  we  landed 
on  a  sand-bank.  We  were  soon  visited  by  another 
party  of  the  Esquimaux,  who  brought  deer's  meat  for 


JIl 


In  the  Arctic  Begiona. 


4Sl 


sale ;  and  although  the  whole  quantity  did  not 
amount  to  a  deer,  we  had  to  purchase  it  in  small 
pieces.  This  practice  of  dividing  the  meat  among 
the  party,  we  found  to  prevail  throughout  the  voy- 
age ;  and  they  avowed  as  their  reason  for  it,  the  de- 
sire that  every  one  might  obtain  a  share  of  the  good 
things  we  distributed.  One  of  the  men  drew  on  the 
sand  a  sketch  of  the  coast  to  the  westward,  as  far  as 
he  was  acquainted  with  it ;  from  which  it  appeared 
that  there  was  a  line  of  reefs  in  front  of  the  coast  the 
whole  way  ;  the  water  being  deep  on  the  outside  of 
them,  but  on  the  inside  too  shallow  even  for  their 
oomiacks  to  float.  We  subsequently  found  that  his 
knowledge  of  the  coast  did  not  extend  beyond  a  few 
days'  march. 

The  atmosphere  becoming  more  clear  about  two 
p.  M.,  we  again  embarked,  and  endeavored  to  get  to 
seaward.  The  boats,  however,  soon  grounded ;  and 
finding  all  our  attempts  to  push  through  any  of  the 
channels  betw,een  the  reefs  ineffectual,  we  pulled  back 
close  to  Herschel  Island.  Following,  then,  the  course 
of  the  drift  ice,  we  passed  near  to  its  south-west 
point,  which  was  found  lo  be  the  only  deep  passage 
through  the  strait.  We  afterwards  entered  into  a 
fine  sheet  of  open  water,  the  main  body  of  the' ice 
being  about  half  a  mile  to  seaward,  and  only  a  few 
bergs  lying  aground  in  the  direction  of  our  course. 


452 


Thirty  Tears 


The  outer  parts  of  the  island  appeared  closely  beset 
with  ice.  At  the  end  of  five  miles  we  discerned 
another  large  party  of  Esquimaux,  encamped  on  a 
reef ;  they  waved  their  jackets  as  signals  for  us  to 
land,  which  we  declined  doing,  as  we  perceived  the 
water  to  be  shallow  between  us  and  them.  They  ran 
along  the  beech  as  far  as  the  end  of  the  reef,  tempting 
us  by  holding  up  meat.  Only  two  of  the  party  were 
provided  with  canoes,  and  they  followed  us  to  a  bluff 
point  of  the  main  shore,  on  which  we  landed.  These 
proved  to  be  persons  whom  we  had  seen  at  Herschel 
Island,  and  who  had  visited  the  Esquimaux  in  this 
quarter  on  purpose  to  make  them  acquainted  with  our 
arrival.  We  were  happy  to  learn  from  them  that  we 
should  not  see  any  more  of  their  countrymen  for  some 
time,  because,  while  surrounded  by  them,  the  necessity 
of  closely  watching  their  motions,  prevented  us  from 
paying  due  attention  to  other  objects.  Resuming  our 
voyage,  we  pulled  along  the  outer  border  of  a  gravel 
reef,  about  two  hundred  yards  broad,  that  runs  paral- 
lel to,  and  about  half  a  mile  from,  the  coast,  having  a 
line  of  drift  ice  on  the  outside  of  us.  The  wind  being 
contrary,  and  the  evening  cold,  temperature  40^,  we 
encamped  on  the  reef  at  eight  p.  m.,  where  we  found 
plenty  of  drift  timber  ;  the  water  was  brackish.  The 
distance  traveled  this  day  was  eight  miles  and  a  half. 
The  main  shore  opposite  the  encampment  was  low  to 


a  grea| 
ascend! 
mount] 

Wed. 
10th. 


^ 


In  the  Arctic  Begtons, 


453 


a  great  distance  from  the  coast ;  it  then  appeared  to 
ascend  gradually  to  the  base  of  the  Buckland  chain  of 
mountains. 

^th!  The  following  morning  being  calm,  and  vory 
fine^  the  boats  were  launched  at  three  a.  m.,  and  wb 
set  off  in  high  spirits  ;  but  after  pulling  three  miles, 
we  perceived  the  channel  of  open  water  becoming 
narrow,  and  the  pieces  of  ice  heavier  than  any  we  had 
before  seen,  some  of  them  being  aground  in  three 
fathoms  water.  At  six  a.  m.,  after  having  gone  five 
miles  and  a  half,  we  were  stopped  by  the  ice  which 
adhered  to  the  reef,  and  was  unbroken  lo  seaward. 
Imagining  we  saw  water  at  some  distance  beyond  this 
barrier,  we  were  induced  to  drag  the  boats  across  the 
reef,  and  launch  them  into  the  channel  on  the  inside, 
in  the  hope  of  reaching  it.  This  proved  to  be  a  bay, 
at  the  head  of  which  we  arrived  in  a  short  time.  It 
was  then  discovered  that  a  fog  hanging  over  the  ice 
had  been  mistaken  for  water.  The  boats  were,  there- 
fore, reconveyed  across  the  reef,  the  tents  pitched, 
and  we  had  to  draw  largely  on  our  nearly  exhausted 
stock  of  patience,  as  we  contemplated  the  dreary  view 
of  this  compact  icy  field.  A  herd  of  rein-deer  appear- 
ed very  opportunely  to  afford  some  employment,  and 
most  of  the  men  were  despatched  on  the  chase,  but 
only  one  was  successful.  The  following  observations 
were  obtained  -.—Latitude  69**  36'  N.  ;  longitude  139** 


I  II  r      II  ia>  I 


mf 


454 


Thirty   Years 


^      « 


•«fe-i* 


42*  W.  Being  now  abreast  of  Mount  Conybeare, 
Lieutenant  Back  and  I  were  on  the  point  of  setting 
out  to  visit  its  summit,  when  we  were  stopped  by  a 
very  dense  fog  that  accompanied  a  fresh  breeze  from 
the  N.  W.,  followed  by  heavy  rain.  The  weather 
continued  bad,  until  ten  the  following  morning  ;  the 
ice  near  the  beach  was  broken  into  smaller  pieces,  but 
as  yet  too  closely  packed  for  our  proceeding.  The 
water  being  brackish  in  front  of  the  reef,  we  despatch- 
ed two  men  to  bring  some  from  the  pools  at  a  distance 
inland,  which  was  found  to  have  the  same  taste  ; 
from  this  circumstance,  as  well  as  from  the  piles  of 
drift  wood,  thrown  up  far  from  the  coast,  one  may  in- 
fer that  the  sea  occasionally  washes  over  this  low 
shore.  The  ice  broken  off  from  large  masses,  and  per- 
mitted to  drain  before  it  was  melted,  did  not  furnish 
us  with  better  water.  A  couple  of  pin-tailed  dacka 
were  shot,  the  only  pair  seen  ;  the  black  kind  were 
more  numerous,  but  were  not  fired  at,  as  they  are 
fishing  ducks,  and,  therefore,  not  good  to  eat.  We 
also  saw  a  few  geese  and  swans. 

^2i8t7  ^^^  atmosphere  was  calm,  and  perfectly  clear, 
^on  the  morning  of  the  2 1st ;  and  as  there  was  not  any 
change  in  the  position  of  the  ice,  I  visited  Mount 
Conybeare,  accompanied  by  Duncan  and  Stewart. 
Though  its  distance  was  not  more  than  twelve  miles 
from  the  coast,  the  journey  proved  to  bo  very  fatigu- 


In  the  Arctic  Beg  ions. 


455 


ing,  owinj;  to  the  swampiness  of  the  ground  between 
the  mountain  and  the  sea.  We  had  also  the  discom- 
fort of  being  tormented  the  whole  way  by  myriads  of 
musquitoes.  The  plain  was  intersected  by  a  winding 
river,  about  fort3^yard8  broad,  which  we  forded,  and 
on  its  western  side  found  a  thicket  of  willows,  none 
of  which  were  above  seven  inches  in  circumference, 
and  only  five  or  six  feet  high.  At  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  were  three  parallel  platforms  or  terraces, 
whose  heights  we  estimated  at  fifty,  eighty,  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty  feet ;  composed  of  transition  slate, 
the  stone  of  the  lowest  being  of  the  closest  texture. 
We  found  the  task  of  climbing  above  the  upper  ter- 
races difficult,  in  consequence  of  the  looseness  of  the 
stones,  which  did  not  afford  a  firm  footing,  but  after 
an  hour's  labor,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  top. 
The  mountain  is  also  composed  of  slate,  but  so  much 
weathered  near  the  summit,  as  to  appear  a  mere  col- 
lection of  stones.  Its  height  above  the  sea  we  esti- 
mated at  eight  hundred  feet.  Two  or  three  hardy 
plants  were  in  flower,  at  the  highest  elevation,  which 
we  gathered,  though  they  were  of  the  same  kind  that 
had  been  collected  in  the  lower  lands  ;  and  dur- 
ing the  whole  march  we  did  not  meet  with  any  plant 
different  from  the  specimens  we  had  already  obtained. 
On  arriving  at  the  top  of  the  mountain,  we  were  re- 
freshed  by  a  strong   south   wind,  which  we  fondly 


' 


'm''i»'r^<''>m^-f^fni^n$f 


- I^^ 


wgrn 


456 


Thirty  Years 


hoped  might  reach  to  the  coast,  and  be  of  service  by 
driving  the  ice  from  the  land.  This  hope,  however, 
lasted  only  a  few  minutes ;  for,  on  casting  our  eyes 
to  seaward,  there  appeared  no  open  water  into  which 
it  could  be  moved,  except  near  Herschel  Island.  The 
view  into  the  interior  possessed  the  charm  of  novelty, 
and  attracted  particular  regard.  We  commanded  a 
prospect  over  three  ranges  of  mountains,  lying  paral- 
lel to  the  Buckland  chain,  but  of  less  altitude.  The 
view  was  bounded  by  a  fourth  range  of  high-peaked 
m,9untains,  for  the  most  part  covered  with  snow. 
This  distant  range  was  afterwards  distinguished  by 
the  name  of  the  British  Chain  ;  and  the  mountains  at 
its  extremities  were  named  in  honor  of  the  then  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer,  and  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trade — the  Bight  Honorable  Mr.  Bobinson,  now 
Lord  Goderich,  and  Mr.  Huskisson.  When  seen  from 
the  coast,  the  mountains  of  the  Buckland  chain  ap- 
peared to  form  a  continuous  line,  extending  from  N. 
W.  by  N.,  to  S.  E.  by  S. ;  but  from  our  present  situa- 
tion we  discovered  that  they  were  separated  from  each 
other  by  a  deep  valley,  and  a  rivulet,  and  that  their 
longest  direction  was  N.N.E.  and  S.S.W.  The  same 
order  prevailed  in  the  three  ranges  behind  the  Buck- 
land  chain  ;  and  the  highest  of  their  mountains,  like 
Mount  Conybeare,  were  round  and  naked  at  the  top  ; 
the  vaUies  between  them  were  grassy.    We  erected  a 


.ti 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


457 


'  pile  of  stones  of  sufficient  height  to  be  seen  from  the 
sea,  and  deposited  underneath  it  a  note,  containing 
the  latitude,  longitude,  and  some  particulars  relative 
to  the  Expedition. 

^'S?^'  The  22nd  was  a  calm,  sultry  day,  the  tem- 
perature varying  between  58"  and  63°,  and  we  were 
tormented  by  musquitoes.     The  ice  remained  very 

'  close  to  the  beach.  Impatient  of  our  long  detention, 
we  gladly  availed  ourselves,  at  three  in  the  morning 
of  the  23rd,  of  a  small  opening  in  the  ice,  to  launch 
the  boats,  and  push  them  forward  as  far  as  we  coi|ld 
get  them.  We  thus  succeeded  in  reaching  a  lane  of 
water,  through  which  we  made  tolerable  progress, 
though  after  two  hours  and  a  half  of  exertion,  we 
were  gradually  hemmed  in,  and  forced  again  to  en- 
camp at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream  westward  of  Sir 
Pulteney  Malcolm  River.  We  had,  however,  the 
satisfaction  of  finding,  by  the  observations,  that  we 
had  gained  ten  miles.  The  temperature  of  the  water 
at  the  surface  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore  was 
40°,  that  of  the  air  being  49°.  The  water  was  two 
fathoms  deep,  ten  yards  from  the  beach. 

The  coast  here  was  about  fifteen  feet  high ;  and 
from  the  top  of  the  bank  a  level  plain  extended  to  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  which,  though  very  swampy, 
was  covered  with  verdure.  At  this  place  we  first 
found  boulder  stones,  which  were  deeply  seated  in  the 


I 


iji  ;•  ■!   4IIJ1II  niWJ  I 


wfmtKmmmmm^ 


458 


Thirty  Tears 


^ 


gravel  of  the  beach.  They  consisted  of  greenstone, 
sandstone,  and  limestone  ;  the  first  mentioned  being 
the  largest,  and  the  last  the  most  numerous.  Having 
seen  several  fish  leaping  in  the  river,  a  net  was  set 
across  its  mouth,  though  without  success,  owing  to 
the  meshes  being  too  large.  Two  men  were  des- 
patched to  examine  the  state  of  the  ice  ;  and  on  their 
return  from  a  walk  of  several  miles,  they  reported 
that,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  spot  close  to  the 
beach,  it  was  quite  compact.  They  had  observed, 
about  two  miles  from  the  encampment,  stumps  of 
drift  wood  fixed  in  the  ground  at  certain  distances, 
extending  from  the  coast  across  the  plain  towards  the 
Rocky  Mouatains,  in  the  direction  of  two  piles  of 
stones,  which  were  erected  on  the  top  of  the  latter. 
We  were  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  what  motive  the  Es- 
quimaux could  have  had  for  taking  so  much  trouble, 
unless  these  posts  were  intended  to  serve  as  decoys  for 
the  reindeer.  The  party  assembled  at  divine  service 
in  the  evening,  as  had  been  our  practice  every  Sunday. 
^^aTtb*^  On  the  morning  of  the  24th  we  were  able  to 
make  a  further  advance  of  two  miles  and  three-quar- 
ters, by  forcing  the  boats  between  the  masses  of  ice, 
as  far  as  the  del^ouche  of  another  rivulet.  Under  any 
other  circumstance  than  that  of  being  beset  by  ice, 
the  beautifully  calm  and  clear  weather  we  then  had 
would  have  been  deligUtful ;  but  as  our  hope  of  being 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


459 


tone. 


ice, 
any 
ice. 


released  rested  solely  on  a  strong  wind,  we  never 
ceased  to  long  for  its  occurrence.  A  breeze  would 
have  been,  at  any  rate,  beneficial  in  driving  away  the 
musquitoes,  which  were  so  numerous  as  to  prevent 
any  enjoyment  of  the  open  air,  and  to  keep  us  confined 
to  a  tent  filled  with  smoke,  the  only  remedy  against 
their  annoyance, 
Tuoflday    ^^Q  ^g^Q  g|.j]|  detained  the  two  following 

days,  and  the  only  things  we  saw  were  a  grey  wolf, 
some  seals,  and  some  ducks.  More  tedious  hours  than 
those  passed  by  us  in  the  present  situation,  cannot 
well  be  imagined.  After  the  astronomical  observa- 
tions had  been  obtained  and  worked,  the  survey 
brought  up,  a  sketch  made  of  the  encampment,  and 
specimens  of  the  plants  and  stones  in  the  vicinity  col- 
lected, thero  was,  literally,  nothing  to  do.  The  anx- 
iety which  was  inseparable  from  such  an  enterprise  as 
ours,  at  such  an  advanced  period  of  the  season,  left 
but  little  disposition  to  read,  even  if  there  had  been  a 
greater  choice  of  books  in  our  traveling  library,  and 
still  less  composure  to  invent  amusement.  Even  had 
the  musquitoes  been  less  tormenting,  the  swampiness 
of  the  ground,  in  which  we  sank  ancle  deep  at  every 
step,  deprived  us  of  the  pleasure  of  walking.  A  visit 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  often  talked  of,  but  they 
were  now  at  a  distance  of  two  days'  journey,  and  we 
dared  not  to  be  absent  from  the  boats  so  long,  lest 


mm 


■t< 


460 


Thirty  Tears 


the  ice,  in  its  fickle  movements,  should  open  for  a 
short  time.  Notwithstanding  the  closeness  of  the  ice, 
^e  perceived  a  regular  rise  and  fall  of  the  water, 
though  it  amounted  only  to  seven  inches,  except  on 
the  night  of  the  24th,  when  the  rise  was  two  feet ; 
but  the  direction  of  the  flood  was  not  yet  ascertained. 
We  found  a  greater  proportion  of  birch-wood,  mixed 
with  the  drift  timber  to  the  westward  of  the  Babbage, 
than  wc  had  done  before  ;  between  the  Mackenzie  and 
that  river  it  had  been  so  scarce,  that  we  had  to  draw 
upon  our  store  of  bark  to  light  the  fires.  Some  lunar 
observations  were  obtained  in  the  afternoon  of  the  25  th. 
and  their  results  assured  us  that  the  chronometers 
were  going  steadily.  At  midnight  we  were  visited  by 
a  strong  S.W.  breeze,  accompanied  by  rain,  thunder, 
and  lightning.  This  weather  was  succeeded  by  calm, 
and  a  fog  that  continued  throughout  the  next  day, 
and  confined  our  view  to  a  few  yards.  Temperature 
from  41°  to  43°.  On  the  atmosphere  becoming  clear 
^*26th.*^*^  about  nine  in  the  evening  of  the  26th,  we 
discovered  a  lane  of  water,  and  immediately  embarking, 
we  pulled,  for  an  hour,  without  experiencing  much  in- 
terruption from  the  ice.  A  fresh  breeze  then  sprung 
lip  from  the  N.W.,  which  brought  with  it  a  very  dense 
fog,  and  likewise  caused  the  ice  to  close  so  fast  upon 
us,  that  we  were  compelled  to  hasten  to  the  shore. 
We  had  just  landed,  when  the  channel  was  complete- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


461 


.  ly  closed.  We  encamped  od  the  western  side  of  a 
river  about  two  hundred  yards  broad,  which,  at  the 
request  of  Lieutenant  Back,  was  named  after  Mr. 
Backhouse,  one  of  the  under  Secretaries  of  State  for 
Foreign  Affairs.  It  appeared  that  the  water  that 
flowed  from  this  chrnnel  had  caused  the  opening  by 
which  we  had  traveled  from  our  last  resting-place  j 
for  beyond  it,  the  ice  was  closely  packed. 

^Sfth."^'  Some  heavy  rain  fell  in  the  night,  and  the 
morning  of  the  27th  was  foggy ;  but  the  sun,  about 
noon,  having  dispersed  the  fog,  we  discovered  an  open 
channel,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore. 

^^Sth?^'  "^^^  morning  of  the  29th  opened  with  heavy 
rain  and  fog ;  the  precursors  of  a  strong  gale  from 
E.N.E.,  which  brought  back  the  ice  we  had  already 
passed,  and  closely  packed  it  along  the  beach,  but  we 
could  not  perceive  that  the  wind  had  the  slighest 
effect  on  the  main  body  at  a  distance  from  the  shore. 
This  was  a  very  cold,  comfortless  day,  the  temperature 
between  38°  and  42°.  On  the  following  morning  a 
brilliant  sun  contributed  with  the  gale  to  the  disper- 
sion of  the  mist  which  had,  for  some  days  past,  over- 
hung the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  we  had  the  gratifica- 
tion of  seeing,  for  the  first  time,  the  whole  length  of 
the  British  Chain  of  Mountains,  which  are  more 
peaked  and  irregular  in  their  outline,  and  morb 
pictuesque  than  those  of  the  Buckland  Range.     In 


mmm 


462 


Thirty  Years 


exploring  the  bed  of  a  rivulet  we  found  several  pieces 
of  quartz,  containing  pyrites  of  a  very  bright  color, 
which  so  much  attracted  the  attention  of  the  crews, 
that  they  spent  several  hours  in  examining  every 
stone,  expecting  to  have  their  labor  rewarded  by  the 
discovery  of  some  precious  metal. 

The  gale  having  abated  in  the  evening,  we  quickly 
loaded  the  boats,  and  pulled  them  into  a  lane  of  water 
that  we  had  observed  about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore. 
This,  however,  extended  only  a  short  way  to  the  west, 
•and  at  the  end  of  a  mile  and  a  half  inclined  towards 
the  beach,  the  ice  beyond  it  being  closely  packed. 
Before  the  boats  could  be  brought  to  the  land,  they 
received  several  heavy  blows  in  passing  through  nar- 
row channels,  and  over  tongues  of  grounded  ice.  I 
walked  to  the  extreme  point  that  we  had  in  view 
from  the  tent,  and  was  rejoiced  by  the  sight  of  a  large 
space  of  water  in  the  direction  of  our  course  ;  but  up 
to  the  point  the  ice  was  still  compact,  and  heavy. 
On  my  way  I  passed  another  Esquimaux  village, 
where  tliere  were  marks  of  recent  visitors. 

We  witnessed  the  setting  of  the  sun  at  eleven  p.m., 
an  unwelcome  sight,  which  the  gloomy  weather  had, 
till  then,  spared  us  ;  for  it  forced  upon  our  minds  the 
conviction  that  the  favorable  season  for  our  operations 
was  fast  passing  away,  though  we  had,  as  yet,  made 
so  little  progress.     This  was  not  the  only  uncomforta- 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


463 


ble  circumstance  that  attended  ns  this  evening.  Our 
friend  Augustus  was  seized  with  a  shivering  fit,  in 
consequence  of  having  imprudently  rushed,  when  in 
full  perspiration,  into  a  lake  of  cold  water,  to  drag  out 
a  reindeer  which  he  had  killed.  He  was  unable  to 
walk  on  coming  out  of  the  water,  and  the  consequence 
would  have  been  more  serious  had  it  not  been  for  the 
kindness  of  his  companion,  Wilson,  who  deprived 
himself  of  his  flannels  and  waistcoat  to  clothe  him. 
On  their  arrival  at  the  tent,  Augustus  was  put  be- 
tween blankets,  and  provided  with  warm  chocolate, 
and  the  only  inconvenience  that  he  felt  next  morning 
was  pain  in  his  limbs. 

^aiBt?^'  We  had  several  showers  of  rain  daring  the 
night,  with  a  steady  S.W.  breeze,  and  in  the  morning 
of  the  31st  were  delighted  by  perceiving  the  ice 
loosening  and  driving  off  the  land.  We  were  afloat 
in  a  few  minutes,  and  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  pulling 
through  an  uninterrupted  channel  as  far  as  Point 
Demarcation,  which  has  been  so  named  from  its  being 
situated  in  longitude  141°  W.,  the  boundary  between 
the  British  and  Russian  dominions  on  the  northern 
coast  of  America.  This  point  seems  to  be  much 
resorted  to  by  the  Esquimaux,  as  we  found  here  many 
winter  houses,  and  four  large  stages.  On  the  latter 
were  deposited  several  bundles  of  seal  and  deer  skins, 
aid  several  pair  of  snow-shoes.     The  snow-shoes  were 


464 


Thirty  Tears 


netted  with  cords  of  deer-skin,  and  were  shaped  like 
those  used  by  the  Indians  near  the  Mackenzie.  A 
favorable  breeze  now  sprang  up  ;  and  having  ascer- 
tained, by  mounting  one  of  the  Esquimaux  stages, 
that  there  was  still  a  channel  of  open  water  between 
a  low  island  and  the  main  shore,  we  set  sail  to  follow 
its  course.  At  the  end  of  three  miles  we  found  the 
water  gradually  to  decrease  from  three  fathoms  to  as 
many  feet,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  boats  repeatedly 
took  the  ground.  In  this  situation  we  were  enveloped 
by  a  thick  fog,  which  limited  our  view  to  a  few  yards. 
We,  therefore,  dragged  the  boats  to  the  land,  until 
we  could  see  our  way  ;  this  did  not  happen  before  ten 
in  the  evening,  when  it  was  discovered  from  the  sub- 
mit of  an  eminence  about  two  miles  distant,  that 
though  the  channel  was  of  some  extent,  it  was  very 
shallow,  and  seemed  to  be  barred  by  ice  to  the  west- 
ward. We  also  ascertained  that  it  was  bounded  to 
seaward  by  a  long  reef.  The  night  proved  very 
stormy,  anu  we  were  but  scantily  supplied  with  drift 
wood. 
TuMday.  Though  the  morning  of  the  Ist  of  August 
commenced  with  a  heavy  gale  from  E.N.E.,  and  very 
foggy  weather,  we  proceeded  to  the  reef,  after  much 
fatigue  in  dragging  the  boats  over  the  flats,  under  the 
supposition  that  our  best  chance  of  getting  forward 
would  be  by  passing  on  the  outside  of  it.     But  there 


\ 

V 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


465 


finding  heavy  ice  lying  aground,  and  so  closely  packed 
as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  putting  the  boats  into 
the  water,  it  was  determined  to  examine  the  channel 
by  walking  along  the  shore  of  the  reef.  An  outlet  to 
the  sea  was  discovered,  but  the  channel  was  so  flat 
that  gulls  were,  in  most  parts,  wading  across  it ;  and 
there  was,  therefore,  no  other  course  than  to  await 
the  separation  of  the  ice  from  the  reef  On  the  dis- 
persion of  the  fog  in  the  afternoon,  we  perceived  that 
some  of  the  masses  of  ice  were  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  high  ;  and  we  derived  little  comfort  from  behold- 
ing, from  the  top  of  one  of  them,  an  unbroken  surface 
of  ice  to  seaward. 

^'Uld!^'*^'  ^^^  g*^^  ^^®^  without  the  least  abatement 
throughout  the  night,  and  until  noon  of  the  2nd,  when 
it  terminated  in  a  violent  gust,  which  overthrew  the 
tents.  The  field  of  ice  was  broken  in  the  offing,  and 
the  pieces  put  in  motion  ;  and  in  the  evening  there  ap- 
peared a  large  space  of  open  water,  but  we  could  not 
take  advantage  of  these  favorable  circumstances,  in 
consequence  of  the  ice  still  closely  besetting  the  reef. 
Lieutenant  Back  occupied  himself  in  sketching  the 
different  views  from  the  reef  ;  from  one  of  which  the 
annexed  engraving  has  been  selected,  as  conveying  an 
accurate  delineation  of  our  position  on  Icy  Reef.  We 
remarked  large  heaps  of  gravel,  fifteen  feet  above  the 
surface  of  the  reef,  on  the  largest  iceberg,  which  must 


20*^ 


466 


Thirty  Years 


have  been  caused  by  the  pressure  of  the  ice  ;  and  from 
the  top  of  this  berg  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  discov- 
ering that  a  large  herd  of  reindeer  were  marching  in 
line  towards  the  opposite  side  of  the  chaunel.  Our 
party  was  instantly  on  the  alert,  and  the  best  hunters 
were  sent  in  the  Reliance  in  chase  of  them.  The  boat 
grounded  about  midway  across,  and  the  eager  sports- 
men jumped  overboard  and  hastened  to  the  shore  ; 
but  such  was  their  want  of  skill,  that  only  three  fawns 
were  killed,  out  of  a  herd  of  three  or  four  hundred. 
The  supply,  however,  w£.s  sufficient  for  our  present 
use,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  chase  afforded  amu- 
sing conversation  for  the  evening. 
Thurwiay,     Qq  ||jg  moming  of  the  3rd  a  strong  breeze 

set  in  from  the  east,  which  we  were  rejoiced  to  find 
caused  a  higher  flood  in  the  channel  than  we  had  yet 
seen,  and  the  hope  of  effecting  a  passage  by  its  course 
was  revived  ;  as  the  ice  was  still  fast  to  the  reef,  and 
likely  to  continue  so,  it  was  considered  better  to  oc- 
cupy ourselves  in  dragging  the  boats  through  the 
mud,  than  to  continue  longer  in  this  irksome  spot, 
where  the  wood  was  already  scarce,  and  the  water  in- 
different. The  boats,  therefore,  proceeded  with  four 
men  in  each,  while  the  rest  of  the  crew  walked  along 
the  shore,  and  rendered  assistance  wherever  it  was 
necessary,  to  drag  them  over  the  shallow  parts.  After 
four  hours*  labor,  we  reached  the  eastern  pait  of  the 


In  the  Arctic  Begwna, 


467 


bay,  which  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  naming  after 
my  friend  Captain  Beaufort,  B.N.,  and  which  was 
then  covered  with  ice.  We  had  also  the  happiness  of 
finding  a  channel  that  led  to  seaward,  which  enabled 
us  to  get  on  the  outside  of  the  reef;  but  as  we  pushed 
as  close  as  we  could  to  the  border  of  the  packed  ice, 
our  situation,  for  the  next  four  hours,  was  attended 
with  no  little  anxiety.  The  appearance  of  the  clouds 
bespoke  the  return  of  fog,  and  we  were  sailing  with  a 
strong  breeze  through  narrow  cliannels,  between  heavy 
pieces  of  drift  ice,  on  the  outside  of  a  chain  of  reefs 
that  stretched  across  Beaufort  Bay,  which  we  knew 
could  not  be  approached  within  a  mile,  owing  to  the 
shallowness  of  the  water. 

At  six  in  the  evening,  the  party  passed  the  termi- 
nation of  the  British  chain  of  mountains,  and  the  next 
day  came  in  sight  of  the  RomerzofF  chain,  continuing 
in  boats  along  the  shore.  On  the  7th  of  August,  Fi- 
ioxman  Island  was  reached.  In  coasting  along  the 
Polar  Sea,  the  Expedition  was  greatly  troubled  by 
the  dense  fogs,  which  almost  put  an  end  to  traveling. 

On  the  16th  day  of  August,  the  forces  of  the  party 
were  turned  homeward  to  the  winter  quarter,  at  Fort 
Franklin,  near  Bear  Lake  River — which  place  they 
reached  en  Thursday,  September  21 — after  traveling 
in  three  months,  2048  ^statute  miles.  Dr.  Richardson 
had  arrived  with  the  Eaiitern  detachment  of  the  Ex- 


468 


Thirty  Tears 


pedition.  He  had  traveled  1980  miles — a  sea  voyage 
of  863  miles  included — passing  from  Sacred  Island  to 
Fort  Encounter,  Fort  Encounter  to  the  Copper  Moun- 
tains, and  thence  overland  to  Bear  Lake. 

The  winter  of  1826-7  was  passed  in  comparative 
comfort,  certainly  without  actual  suffering  ;  and  late 
in  September,  the  party  arrived  in  London. 


<^ 


In  the  Arctic  Regions, 


469 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


On  the  26th  of  May,  1845,  Franklin— long  since 
made  Sir  John  Franklin — with  the  "  Erehtia"  and 
"  Terror"  two  strong  and  well  made  vessels,  with 
140  men  set  out  on  his  last  Arctic  Expedition,  and 
from  which  he  has  never  returned. 

A  letter  from  Sir  John  Franklin,  dated  from  the 
Whalefish  Islands,  Baffin's  Bay,  July  12, 1845,  is  the 
last  communication  from  the  Expedition  ever  received 
in  England  :  their  first  winter-quarters  have  been  dis- 
covered, as  we  shall  relate  presently  ;  but  from  the 
spring  of  1846  all  traces  vanish  ;  no  grave,  no  cairn, 
no  relic  marks  their  progress  ;  no  broken  spar  or  shat- 
tered mast  give  even  the  melancholy  certainty  of  ship- 
wreck and  death ;  the  waters  and  the  wilderness 
guard  their  strange  secret  well,  and  "  there  is  neither 
voice  nor  any  that  answereth,"  to  guide  the  progress 
of  the  noble-minded  men  who  voluntarily  dare  the 
same  dread  fate  in  their  search  for  their  missing  com- 
rades. How  arduously  and  well  that  search  has  been 
prosecuted,  it  will  be  impossible  here  to  relate. 


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Thirty  Years 


Sir  John  Franklin's  official  instructions  directed 
him  to  proceed  through  Barrow's  Straits  until  he 
reached  Cape  Walker  (lat.  74'^  15'  N.,  long.  98°  W.) 
and  then  to  steer  S.  W.  direct  for  Behringa  Straits. 

The  story  of  the  search  after  Sir  John  Franklin  is 
itself  alone  worthy  of  an  entire  volume,  and  should 
the  success  *of  the  present  volume  warrant  it  such  a 
volume  may  follow  it  as  a  sequel.  " 

The  only  information  respecting  the  Expedition, 
and  that  is  very  ohscure,  is  contained  in  the  suhjoin- 
ed  letter  of  Dr.  Rae,  who  prosecuted  an  overland 
journey  in  search  of  Franklin  : 


Repulse  Bay,  July  29. 

«  Sir, — I  have  the  honor  to  mention,  for  the  information  of  my 
Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  that  during  my  journey 
over  the  ice  and  snow  this  spring,  with  the  view  of  completing  the 
Burvey  of  the  west  shore  of  Boothia,  I  met  with  Esquimaux  in  Pelly 
Bay,  from  one  of  whom  I  learned  that  a  party  of  *  white  men' 
(Kablounans)  had  perished  from  want  of  food  some  distance  to  the 
westward,  and  not  far  beyond  a  large  river,  containing  many  falls 
and  rapids.  Subsequently,  further  particulars  were  received,  and 
a  number  of  articles  purchased,  which  places  the  fate  of  a  portion, 
if  not  of  all,  of  the  then  survivers  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  long- 
lost  party  beyond  a  doubt — a  fate  terrible  as  the  imagination  can 
conceive. 

"  The  substance  of  the  information  obtained  at  various  times  and 
from  various  sources  was  as  follows  : — 

"  In  the  spring,  four  winters  past  (spring,  1850),  a  party  of 


'*- 


In  tJie  Arctic  Regions. 


471 


'  white  men,'  amounting  to  about  forty,  were  seen  traveling  southr. 
ward  over  the  ice,  and  dragging  a  boat  with  them,  by  some  Esqui- 
maux, who  were  killing  seals  near  the  north  shore  of  King  Wil- 
liam's Land,  which  is  a  large  island.  None  of  the  party  could 
speak  the  Esquimaux  language  intelligibly,  but  by  signs  the  natives 
were  made  to  understand  that  their  ship,  or  ships,  had  been  crushed 
by  ice,  and  that  they  were  now  going  to  where  they  expected  to 
find  deer  to  shoot.  From  the  appearance  of  the  men,  all  of  whom 
except  one  oflSoer,  looked  thin,  they  were  then  supposed  to  be  get- 
ting short  of  provisions,  and  purchased  a  small  seal  from  the  na- 
tives. At  a  later  date  the  same  season,  but  previous  to  the  break- 
ing up  of  the  ice,  the  bodies  of  some  thirty  ^rsons  were  discovered 
on  the  continent,  and  five  on  an  island  near  it,  about  a  long  day's 
journey  to  the  N.W.  of  a  large  stream,  which  can  be  no  other  than 
Back's  Great  Fish  Eiver  (named  by  the  Esquimaux  Doot-ko-hi- 
calik),  as  its  description,  and  that  of  the  low  shore  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Point  Ogle  and  Montreal  Island,  agree  exactly  with  that 
of  Sir  George  Back.  Some  of  the  bodies  had  been  buried  (prob- 
ably those  of  the  first  victims  of  famine),  some  were  in  a  tent  or 
tents,  others  under  the  boat,  which  had  been  turned  over  to  form  a 
shelter,  and  several  lay  scattered  about  in  different  directions.  Of 
those  found  on  the  island  one  was  supposed  to  have  been  an  officer, 
as  he  had  a  telescope  strapped  over  his  shoulders,  and  bis  double- 
barrelled  gun  lay  underneath  him. 

"  From  the  mutilated  state  of  many  of  the  corpses,  and  the  con- 
tents of  the  kettles,  it  is  evident  that  our  wretched  countrymen  had 
been  driven  to  the  last  resource — cannibalism — as  a  means  of  pro- 
longing existence. 

"  There  appeared  to  have  been  an  abundant  stock  of  ammunition 
as  the  powder  was  emptied  in  a  heap  on  the  ground  by  the  natives 
out  of  the  kegs  or  cases  containing  it ;  and  a  quantity  of  ball  and 
shot  was  found  below  high-water  mark,  having  probably  been  left 


m 


472 


Thirty  Years 


Ot)  tbo  iro  close  to  the  bcttcli.  lliore  must  have  boon  a  nambcr  of 
watchca,  compasses,  tcleacopes,  guns  (several  double-barrelled),  &c., 
all  of  which  appear  to  have  been  broken  up,  as  I  saw  pieces  of 
those  diffl'reut  articles  with  the  Esquimaux,  together  with  some  sil- 
ver spoons  ond  forks.  I  purchased  as  many  as  I  could  get.  A  list 
of  the  most  important  of  these  I  enclose,  with  a  rough  sketch  of 
the  cresta  and  initials  on  the  forks  and  spociis.  The  articles  them- 
selreg  shall  bo  handed  over  to  tho  Secretary  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  on  my  arrival  in  London. 

"  None  of  tho  Esquimaux  with  whom  I  conversed  had  seen  the 
'  whites,'  nor  had  they  ever  been  at  tho  place  where  the  bodies  were 
found,  but  had  their  information  from  those  who  had  been  there, 
and  who  had  seen  the  party  when  traveling. 

"  I  oflbr  no  apology  for  taking  the  liberty  of  addressing  you,  as  I 
do  80  from  a  belief  that  their  lordships  would  be  desirous  of  being 
put  in  possession,  at  as  early  a  dato  as  possible,  of  any  tidings, 
however  meagro  and  unexpectedly  obtained,  regarding  this  painfully 
interesting  subject. 

"  I  may  add  that,  by  means  of  our  guna  and  nets,  wo  obtained  an 
ample  supply  of  provisions  last  autumn,  and  my  small  party  passed 
the  winter  in  snow-houses  in  comparative  comfort,  tho  skins  of  the 
deer  shot  afibrding  abundant  warm  clothing  and  bedding.  My 
spriag  journey  was  a  failure,  in  consequence  of  an  accumulation  of 
obstacles,  several  of  which  my  former  experience  in  arctic  traveling 
had  iiot  taught  me  to  expect. — I  have,  &c., 

"JOHN  RAE,  O.F., 
"  Commanding  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Arctic  Expedition." 


To  such  a  tragic  detail  as  this  nothing  can  be  added. 
There  is  little  from  which  to  draw  consolation,  and 
imagination   requires   no  aid   to   portray  the   weary 


In  the  Arctic  Regions. 


473 


longing  for  rest  and  home,  which  not  even  the  agony 
of  liiinger  could  subdue — vain  desires,  hopeless  crav 
ings,  never  to  ho  realized  on  earth  ;  but  can  wo  for  a 
moment  doubt,  that  the  merciful  All-Father  looked 
pitifully  down  upon  the  homeless  ones,  and,  in  his 
tender  love,  closed  their  long  wanderings,  and  gave 
them  a  calmer  home  and  a  more  perfect  rest  than  the 
best  that  earth  could  offer  1  There  is  much  to  specu- 
late upon  in  this  brief  narrative.  What  had  become 
of  all  the  rest  ?  One  hundred  and  forty  men  left 
these  shores  full  of  health  and  vigor,  nine  short  years 
ago.  This  painful  narrative  accounts  only  too  clearly 
for  forty,  but  where  are  the  hundred  ?  Then,  again, 
another  question  arises;,  ^ow  had  the  intermediate 
time  been  spent  between  the  winter  passed  at  Becchey 
Island,  1845-6,  and  the  piteous  tragedy  of  1850  ? 
Searching  parties  have  visited  every  probable  spot 
where  they  could  have  touched,  and  since  some  were 
certainly  alive  at  such  a  comparatively  recent  date,  it 
seems  quite  inexplicable  that  we  should  not  have  come 
upon  some  traces,  either  of  winter  quarters,  sledging 
parties,  or  shipwreck.  How  was  it,  again,  that  while 
the  Esquimaux  lived  comfortably  through  the  winter, 
the  English  party  in  the  same  district  were  a  prey  to 
all  the  agonies  of  starvation  ?  Questions  like  these 
might  be  multiplied  to  any  extent,  but  how  shall  they 
be  answered? 


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Being 
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^  a  disclosii 
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should  bi 
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Sent  J 


li'^ISiS^ 


^  mim  MRS 


JUST     PUBLISHED. 


WITH 
THE 

A  FULL  AND  AUTHENTIC  ACCOUNT 


lORMOi. 


OF 


THEIR  SOCIAL   CONDITIOIS, 

Tiis  fiiiiGis  mtm  &  mm 


FROU 


0 


E 


Fifteen  Years'  Experience. 

[Being   the    Narrative  of    MRS.    MARY   ETTIE    V. 

SMITH,  a  sister  of  one  of  the  3formon  high 

priest.%  and  long  in  the  confidence  of 

^^  PropheV^  Lriijlom  Yovr.g. 

E  D  I T  E  D  B  Y  N.  W.  G  R  E  fi  N. 

1  Vol.,  1 3mo.     l»iicc  S 1 . 

This  volume  is  the  narrative  of  the  painful  Fifteen  Years'  Experience  of 
one  whose  lot  in  earlj  chililhooci  waa  cast  auionsr  the  Mormons,  nml  who  enjoyed 
peculiar  opportunities  to  observe,  unprejudiucJ,  the  working  of  the  system.  Siioli 
a  disclosure  of  the  corruptions  of  human  nature,  nursed  and  developed  by  a  Sa- 
tanic delusion  in  the  full  blaze  of  Christian  civilization,  is  unpuralielud  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  The  vilest  and  most  corrupt  forms  of  Pa<^ani.sm  in  ancient 
or  modern  times  never  witnessed  mons  iniquitous  rites  or  ennjcndorod  a  more  <le- 
graded  state  of  society.  The  truth  and  accuracy  of  the  statements  is  not  only  at- 
tested by  the  names,  locality,  dates,  circumstances — incidental  referot'ces  to  jior- 
sons  and  places — fa^ts  given,  and  all  in  perfect  kce|)ing  with  facts  previously 
kn)wn — but  the  author  challeni^es  the  severest  criricism,  an!  is  prepared  by  in- 
conlestble  ievidence  to  substantiate  the  truth  of  her  statements.  The  work 
should  be  read  and  circulated  by  every  one  interested  in  the  prevalence  of  .«ounil 
morals,  and  every  patriot  who  would  have  his  nation  and  i!;0Yerninent  purged  of  a 
great  national  curse  and  crime. 


3 
{J 


Sent  by  mail,  postage  paid,  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $1.  »^ 

Address,  GEO.  COOPER,  g 

No.8SPKUCE-Sr.,  N.  Y.    ^ 


Ht^^Si^&^it 


?^?>fcr:vy>??s??vss?g$iC^jq»»CT^^  «1C!« 


rv 


T  II  E 


PRINCE  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  DAVID ; 


OR, 


imm  YEABs  m  SEnmM'Em, 

~  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  PONTIUS  PILATE. 

The  book  is  a  large  12mo.  vol.,  of  500  pages,  and  is 
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BEAUTIFUL   JEWISH    MAIDEN, 

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1       ,     '  From  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 

^  This  18  certainly  among  the  most  delightful  volumes  wo  have  ever  read.  1;  is 
very  ably  and  most  eloquently  written.  No  novel  or  romance  could  be  more  «i(B 
cient  in  it.s  effect  on  the  imagmation  or  the  affections  of  the  heart ;  while  its  factp 
and  incidents  are  in  keeping  with  the  evangelical  records.  It  is  a  book  which  cw 
would  rc:id  iignin  and  agnin,  for  the  delightful  and  sanctifying  emotions  it  awaktiu 
in  one  who  feuls  and  realizes  his  personal  interest  in  the  "  story  of  the  cross." 

From  the  Dispatch^  Richmond,  Va. 
Jesus  was  man,  as  well  as  God !  In  this  book  lie  is  seen.,  conversed  with,  eattr 
with  as  a  man!  The  book  presouls  him  in  the  social  and  mora!  relations  of  lifi. 
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matter  how  conversant  with  the  sacred  writings,  is  drawn  along  with  breathless  in 

'  terest,  and  the  very  depths  of  his  heart  reached  and  stirred  into  uncontrollable 
emotion.  Outside  of  the  Holy  Gospels  thems  Ives,  we  have  never  seen  so  moving 
a  picture  of  the  life  of  the  Man  of  Sorrow,  nor  any  representation  of  the  wondrous 

I  Iiiauiy  of  the  Divine  character,  so  to  ching  and  so  true. 

THE  PRINCE  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  DAVID 

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R  ^  No.  8  SPRUCE-ST.,  N.  Y.         I 


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THE 


9 


(ELECTROTYrE  EDITION,) 

Just  Published,  is  n  Largo  nml  EIon;nnt  Pluto  for  Fniining,  contixininff  seven  ilig- 
'  tinctly  engraved  views — the  luomorablo  Prayer  in  largo  ornamental  letters  ;  alao  VJ 

%  Cjjronolagital  (iLnlcnbar, 

I  Or  an  arrangement  of  tho  Old  Testament  Scriptures  in  Chronological  Order,  for  ^ 
the  i)uri)ose  of  inducing  the  lovers  of  Divine  Truth  to  a  more  faithful  reading  of  ^ 

'  them  in  dally,  consecutive  portions  once  every  year — tho  whole  surrounded  by  a  *^ 
unique  border,  and  covering  a  surface  of  nearly 

FOUR  HUNOllEO  SQUARE  INCHES. 

It  ia  a  work  that  commends  itself  to  nil  classes,  Rich  and  Poor.  It  forms  an  ^ 
'appropriate  ornament  for  the  cottage  of  the  low'.y  imd  the  cottage  of  the  rich;  *< 
I  and  to  bring  it  within  the  mcnns  of  all,  tho  price  has  been  fixed  at  only 

TWE3^T¥-F3¥E  tmiS  A  SOPY, 

I  Or  Five  Copies  for  Onk  Doli-au,  twelve  Copies  for  Two  Dollars,  and  twenty 
Copies  for  Three  Dollars,  put  ou  rollers,  which  will  secure  them  from  injury,  and 
mailed  to  order, 

Free  of  Postage. 

Money  for  one  or  more  copies  of  the  Lord's  Prnyer,  enclosed  in  a  letter,  with 
the  name  and  post  office  address  of  tho  sender,  may  be  forwarded  at  our  risk. 


I   lAGEITS    WANTED. 

In  order  to  bring  this  useful  ornament  within  the  reach  of  the  poor,  any  of  our 
friends  who  are  willing  to  supply  their  neighljors  with  it  at  a  price  they  can  afford 
to  pay,  can  have 

ONE    HUNDRED    COPIES 

At  the  unparalleled  low  price  of 

TEN  DOLLARS. 

This  affords  a  rare  chance  for  useful  and  profitable  employment.     There  is 
not,  probably,  a  single  county  in  the  Union  but  in  which  a  thousand  copies  may 
ly  be  sold ;  and  in  many  cuimties  several  thousand  copies  may  be  sold. 

The  Fifth  Edition  is  now  Ready. 

Send  orders  to 

GEO.  COOPER, 


Xo,  8  srui:cE-ST.,  n.  y. 


in 


'^— W^    PI     I  |n      mw 


'  <M"^  ♦  v*l»K,  »  «.JI<,  •  'rfinv  •  ^Nt'*-,  *  «Mb>  • 


A  NKW  KKl^iaiOUS  OlFT  13<Jt>K. 


^ 
f' 


THE 

A 
GIFT  BOOK 

FOR  CHRISTIANS. 


^ 


1  Vol.     12mo.    500 


pages. 


PRICE  i^l  25.  f 

The  Publishers  take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  this 
volume  to  the  Christian  public,  as  one  eminently  calcu- 
lated to  do  good. 

[n  his  preface,  tho  author  informs  us  that  the  work  "  is  not  desired  as  a  system- 
atic treatise,  but  as  an  humblo  essay  on  the  ereat,  the  inexhaustible  subject  of  the 
love  of  Christ,  as  manifested  to  a  lost  world.'  It  is  divided  into  four  parts,  under 
tho  following  general  heads  :  *'  The  Love  of  Christ ;"  '•  Christ  and  Him  Crucified  ;" 
"  Wanderings  of  a  Pilgrim  ;"  "  Immanuel's  Land."  These  are  subdivided  into 
some  eight  or  ten  chapters  each. 

From  the  New- York  Chronicle. 

In  coming  to  the  pages  of  this  good  book,  after  noticing  so  many  of  quite  a  differ- 
ent character,  wo  feel  our  souls  refreshed  like  a  man  who  roaches  a  green,  beautiful 
rivulet — irrigated  oasis  in  a  land  where  no  water  is,  a  land  which  is  as  the  shadow.  \ 
:  of  death.     It  is  much  in  the  strain  of  Doddridge's  "  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion 
'  in  tho  Soul,"  or  Baxter's  •'  Saint's  Rest,"  and  like  the  latter  book  "was  composed 
,  during  a  long  period  of  recovery  from  a  chronic  disease,  which  brought  the  aathor  to 
tho  gates  of  death,  and  well  nigh  terminated  bis  life."     It  offers  Christianity  to  the 
I  reader,  not  in  any  controversial  aspect,  not  in  any  ^cute,  metaphysical  or  philoso- 
phical form,  not  as  gratifying  curiosity  by  now  revelations  in  reference  to  departed 
spirits  or  thoir  abode,  not  in  any  of  the  phases  of  it  in  which  so  many  are  solely  ab- 
sorbed, but  Christianity  as  embraced  by  one  who  has  been  slain  by  the  law  and 
made  alive  by  Christ,  as  the  balm  of  a  wounded  heart,  as  salvation  for  the  lost,  as 
life  foi"  the  dead.     And  as  the  matter  of  this  work  is  thus  purely  evangelical,  so  its 
style  is  eminently  simple,  direct,  jippropriate.     It  is  made  to  bear  with  great  force 
directly  upon  the  consoience,  and  hence  is  hortatory,  pungent  and  powerful,  stirring 
up  the  spiritual  affections  from  their  deepest  fountains.     We  could  wish  that  what- 
ever books  are  given  on  the  holidays,  this  one  may  accompany  them  as  tho  crown- 
ing gift  of  all. 

THE  HEAVENLY  TOKEN  will  be  sent  by  mail  to  any  part  of 
the  United  States,  on  receipt  of  the  price,  ($1  25.) 

500  AGENTS  WANTED  IMMEDIATELY  to  engage  in  the  sale 
of  the  above  work.  One  of  our  Agents  has  sold  500  copies  in  two 
months.     For  terms  address, 

GEO.  COOPER, 

No.  8  SPRUCE-ST.,  N.  Y. 


-iir 


^ 


^\  25, 

enting  this 
ntly  calcu- 


ned  as  a  systom- 
le  subject  of  the 
our  parts,  under 
liim  Crucified ;" 
I  subdivided  into 


of  quite  a  differ- 
green,  beautiful 
is  OS  the  shadow,  j 
gross  of  Religion 
k  "was  composed 
ight  the  anthor  to 
hristionity  to  the 
■sical  or  philoso- 
rence  to  departed 
lyare  solely  ab- 
by  the  law  and 
ion  for  the  lost,  as 
vangelical,  so  its 
•  with  great  force 
powerful,  stirring 
1  wish  that  what- 
era  as  the  crown- 


;o  any  part  of  Q 

fige  in  the  sale 
copies  in  two 

UCE-ST.,  N.  y. 


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